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Cumulopuntia sphaerica  ISI 1525  ex. Mollando Rd, Peru 2800m
 

Description: In habitat the plants stay rather small and grow mainly prostrate or semi-erect and are moderately branched, fragile. It is quite variable in segment shape and size, the segments are usually large and spherical (hence the name) but some populations have somewhat elongate segments or are miniature-structured.
Stem: Each segment 2.5-5(6) cm; globose, tuberceles vestigial or absent;
Areoles: Large, 3-6 mm in diameter or more, prominent, close-set, sometimes almost contiguous, extending to base of segment 25-80 or more, the upper approx. 2/3 to nearly all the total spiniferous.
Leaves: The leaves are minute and ephemeral.
Spines: 2-15, porrect, stout, usually straight, sometimes bent, unequal, 1-4 cm, reddish or darkish, pallid in age, occasionally reduced to few inconspicuous bristles about 0.5 cm;
Flower: 4 cm; pericarpels broad, squat, with areoles above bearing small spines near or on rim; tephals orange;
Fruits: with shallow umbilicus, globose, ±spiny;
Seed: rather small, 3.5(-4) mm, subglobose, smooth, with ribbon-like girdle nearly flush with the surface.
 

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Scientific name: Cumulopuntia sphaerica (C.F.Först.) E.F.Anderson1999 

Origin: South America, widespread from central Chile (Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O 'Higgins, Santiago, Tar apaca, Valparaiso) to Peru, (Ayacucho, Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna)

Habitat: It grow in general at not very high altitudes but higher in more northern (tropical) part of the range where it can be found above the 3000m. This species requires higher temperatures in summer and winter as well, as it grows in the nature together with Melocactus peruvianus, too.

NOTE: Cumulopuntia is a very controversial genus genus of cacti closely related to Maihueniopsis.

Synonyms:

• Tephrocactus sphaericus (C. F. Forst.) Backeb.
  in Backeb. & F.M.Knuth - Kaktus-ABC 111. 1935
• Tephrocactus dimorphus var. pseudorauppianus
• Tephrocactus muellerianus
• Tephrocactus mirus
• Opuntia muelleriana
• Tephrocactus multiareolatus
• Cumulopuntia multiareolata
• Tephrocactus pseudorauppianus
• Opuntia dimorpha var. pseudorauppiana
• Opuntia pseudorauppiana
• Cumulopuntia rauppiana
• Opuntia rauppiana
• Tephrocactus sphaericus var. rauppianus
• Tephrocactus rauppianus
• Opuntia leucophaea
• Cumulopuntia tubercularis
• Opuntia sphaerica var. rauppiana
• Opuntia berteri
• Tephrocactus kuehnrichianus
• Opuntia sphaerica
• Tephrocactus sphaericus
• Cumulopuntia berteri
• Cactus berteri
• Opuntia mira
• Tephrocactus berteri
• Tephrocactus campestris
• Opuntia campestris
• Tephrocactus dimorphus
• Opuntia dimorpha
• Cumulopuntia kuehnrichiana
• Opuntia kuehnrichiana
• Echinocactus berter

Cultivation: Cumulopuntia cannot endure any standing heat and need an absolutely airy and sunny place this brings very healthy plants with a good spination and flowers. Use a very draining compost-mix with a high mineral content, they needed deeper pots to accommodate the big tap root. Water and feed in the vegetation period from April until to mid of September, keep dry and cool in winter, they have to be stimulated to bloom by dryness and you may give them water first when the plats start to produce the new buds. Pot bound, starved plants will rapidly look tatty and won’t flower well.
Propagation: Cuttings (let dehydrate the cuttings for a few weeks and the roots will coming quick)

All the information and photos in cactus art file are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.