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Large pearly white
or pale pinkish flowers from mid spring to early summer.
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Description: Solitary cactus.
Stem: Deep
glaucous-green to grey-black, discoidal that
became elonged with time 10-25 cm tall, up to 12 cm in diameter, the
apex is slightly woolly.
Ribs: 10-16 straight, divided in well distinct angular ribs.
Areoles: Whitish-grey,
elonged.
Radial spines: 5-7 (-9) 20-25 mm long slightly bent against the
plants body, clear brown with a darker base when young, that became
whitish-grey with a black base as they age.
Central spines: 0-2 very similar to the radials.
Flowers: Infundibuliform
in the nearest periphery just around the apex 45-60 mm
long, 60-65 in diameter. Tepals ivory white with a brownish mid rib or
occasionally reddish, throat greenish with a basal reddish area. Style
white-greenish, stigma white. Anthers cream coloured.
Fruit: Globate or fusiform, 20-40
mm long green with white bordered scales.
Note: Seems to be a pretty variable plant you might get some
other names which are effectively the same plant.... and also not sure
all plants identified as this are really this.
Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of
Gymnocalycium gibbosum.
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Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family)
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Scientific name: Gymnocalycium gibbosum
(Haworth 1812) Pfeiffer ex Mittler 1844
Common Name: Black Chin Cactus
Origin &
habitat: This species is widely distributed in the
mountains of Argentina from the south of the Buenos Aires province to
Patagonia and show a great variability in morphological traits.
Synonyms:
- Cereus reductus,
- Echinocactus gibbosus,
- Gymnocalycium reductum,
- Gymnocalycium gerardii,
- Cereus gibbosus,
- Cactus reductus,
- Cactus gibbosus,
- Gymnocalycium chubutense
G. gibbosum is the
type species of the genus Gymnocalycium
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Etymology:
The
genus
name
"Gymnocalycium" derives
from the Greek words “gymnos” meaning “naked”
and “calyx” meaning “covering; calyx” referring to
the flower buds (calyx) bearing no
hair or spines. (The genus name implies: “naked
calyx”).
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Cultivation:
summer grower
and pretty easy, water
regularly in summer, keep rather dry in winter,
but can handle excessive water to few water, best
for half-shade but grow well in full sun and full shade too (but in
full sun turns an uneven brownish red colour). style="font-family: Arial">
Frost Tolerance: Hardy to -12C.
Seed
Collecting: Permit
fruit to
ripen, fruit must be significantly
overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seeds
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Cultivation and
Mail Sale 
