|
Echinopsis melanopotamica (P98 Puellches, Argentina,
400m)
This is a very nice, harder to find Echinopsis which is in the
Easter Lily cactus family.
It has very strong spines and produces white flowers about 15 cm
in length.
|
|
|
. |
|
|
Cultivation: The Echinopsis
melanopotamicus is a summer grower
species that offers no cultivation difficulties.
Water regularly in summer (but do not overwater ) needs
good drainage and very porous soil, keep rather dry in winter.
Feed with a high
potassium fertilizer in summer.
It is quite frost resistant if kept dry (hardy to -10° C).
Need a bright exposure, full sun
or half shade in summer.
Propagation: Direct sow after last frost, offsets. |
Advertising
|
|
|
Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family) Echinopsis melanopotamica Speg.
In: Anal. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, 3: 492, 1905
Accepted
Scientific Name: Echinopsis
leucantha (Gillies) Walpers
In: Repert. Bot. 2:324. 1843
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Origin: Western and southern Argentina
Synonyms:
- Echinocactus leucanthus Gillies
in Salm-Dick
In: Hort. Dyck. 341. 1834
- Cereus incurvispins Otto and
Dietrich
In: Allg.Gartenz. 3-244. 1835
- Cereus leucanthus Pfeiffer
In: Enum. Cact. 71. 1837
- Echinonyctanthus leucanthus
Lemaire
In: Cact. Gen. Nov. Sp. 85. 1839
- Echinopsis campylacantha Pfeiffer
in Pfeiffer and Otto
In: Abbild.Beschr. 1:under pl. 4. 1839
- Echinopsis salpigophora Lemaire
in Salm-Dick
In: Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849. 181. 1850
- Echinopsis polyacantha Monville
in Labouret
In: Monogr. Cact. 302. 1853
- Echinopsis campylacantha leucantha
Monville in Labouret
In: Monogr. Cact. 305. 1853
- Echinopsis campylacantha stylodes
Monville in Labouret
In: Monogr. Cact. 305. 1853
- Echinopsis symplex Niedt
In: Allg. Gartenz. 25:237. 1857
- Echinopsis leucantha Schum.
- Echinopsis intricatissima
Spegazzini 1905
- Echinopsis spegazziniana Britton
& Rose 1922
Echinopsis cordobensis Spegazzini 1905
- Echinopsis shaferi Britton & Rose
1922
|
Description: Plants solitary for a
while but eventually may form clumps.
It is related both with E. rhodotricha and
E. ferox. But it is easily recognizable for its cylindrical
stem and upper spines bent over the plant apex. Echinopsis
melanopotamica which comes from the Rio Negro region in Southern
Argentina represent the southern form of the species.
Stem: Globose to oblong, 25-100(130) cm tall.15-25 cm in
diameter. Very dark green sometime greyish or purplish.
Ribs: 12-14, obtuse, somewhat compressed up to 1,5 cm tall.
Areoles: Close together, oblong.
Radial spines: About 6-8, orangish-yellow to dark brown,
subulate, rigid, with a bulbous base, more or less curved, 1-2 cm long.
Central spines: 1 strong, curved, elongated, usually 3 cm long
(but often up to 10 cm long)
Flowers: Funnel-form, up to 16 (or more) cm long, 10 cm in
diameter, the tube about 3 cm broad at the mouth, dark brown, with
scattered areoles bearing small tufts of brown hairs. Outer perianth
segments brownish, spreading, 2 cm long, with an acute
scarious tip. Inner perianth segment in about 3 series, spreading,
the outer purplish, the inner ones white, oblong, acute approx 3 cm
long. Filaments many of unequal length, the series at the mouth of the
flower-tube erect up to 1,5 cm long. Stigma lobes numerous creamy-white
to green.
Fruit: Orangish, dehiscent, pulp white.
Seeds: Black, up to 1,5 cm in diameter.
|
|
Spines are orangish-yellow to dark brown, strong, subulate, rigid, with
a bulbous base, more or less curved toward the plants apex.
|
|