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.

Eriosyce napina ssp. mitis
f. glabrescens

Eriosyce napina ssp. mitis f. glabrescens
FR710 Totoral Bajo, 03 Atacama, Chile

Description: Tiny geophyte,  with a solitary spherical or flattened stem, slowly growing atop a thick, underground taproot, with a constriction between the stem and the root. eventually becoming somewhat elongated in cultivation.
Stem: Slow growing, up to 5-8 cm across, 4-8 cm tall, the colour of the stem is very variable from one specimen to another.   It can be glaucous-blue, glossy green or dark purple with brown, olive, grey tones.
Tubercles : Larger than ssp. napina;
Areoles: Grey.
Radial spines: Variable, from very short and thin or almost absent (f. glabrescent),  to black, recurved, and strong.
Central spines: None or one, strongly bent upward.
Roots:  Forms a tuberous root system with (usually) a very large carrot-like root
Flower: Approx 3,5 cm long, 4-6 cm in diameter, pale yellowish-red with a silky shine, buds densely hairy with brown wool.
Fruit: Large, red, clavate, wrapped in white wool.    
Phenology: Flowers already when young, synchronised flowering of the whole plants takes place over one or two days, and they remain open for about three or four days. Blossoming time: late spring.
 

Root system
 

The colour of the epidermis is very variable,
and ranges from pale blue-grey-green to dark purple.
 

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of E. napina. (This Taxon has lots of synonyms,  with several controversial varieties and subspecies, and comprises a multitude of different forms)

• E. napina
• E. napina forma viridis
• E. napina ssp. lembckei
• E. napina ssp. lembckei v. duripulpa
• E. napina ssp. mitis forma glabrescens
• E. aerocarpa (E. napina aerocarpa)

Advertising

Scientific name:  Eriosyce napina (R. Philippi) F. Kattermann
Published in: Eriosyce (Cactaceae): The genus revised and amplified 1: 118, 1994

Distribution: From coastal Chile (Region III Atacama) in the Huasco valley  (Atacama Desert)

Habitat:  It grows in one of the most arid areas in the world, among rocky crags and sand dunes in sandy-clayey soil in a vegetable formation called “Costal desert of Huasco,” a typical “desertic mattoral” that is just spectacular and impressive when it displays the phenomenon of the “flowering desert”.
Altitude around 200 m.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

• Echinocactus napinus Phil.
• Neoporteria napina (Phil.) Backeb.
• Chilenia napina
• Thelocephala napina
• Chileorebutia napina
• Neochilenia napina (Phil.) Backeb.
• Echinocactus mitis Phil.
• Neochilenia mitis (Phil.) Backeb. 1959
• Neochilenia imitans
• Neochilenia neoreichei
• Reicheocactus neoreichei
• Neoporteria reichei fa. neoreichei

Cultivation: Watering Needs: Its thick taproot is susceptible to over-watering.  Sometimes it's grafted to avoid root rot problems.
Frost Tolerance:  It likes warmth (recommended minimum winter temperature 5° C).  But a plant kept perfectly dry can easily survive at winter night temperatures below 0° C.
Sun Exposure: Suited for sunny-bright exposure; but can tolerate light shade. Suited for airy exposures.  It needs a deep pot and good drainage to accommodate its tap root.  Keep dry in winter.
Pests & diseases:   E. napina is especially prone to rot, therefore, underpot in a smaller container filled with very porous compost.

Propagation:  By seeds or graft. Seeds can be sown in the spring or summer. The seedlings should not be disturbed until they are well rooted, after which they can be planted separately in small pots.
 

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.