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  Echinopsis melanopotamica
(Syn: Echinopsis leucantha)
CACTUS ART
NURSERY

Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents.


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.
 

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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.

 

Photo gallery: Alphabetical listing of Cactus and Succulent pictures published in this site.

Photo gallery ECHINOPSIS


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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.

Home | E-mail | Plant files | Mail Sale Catalogue | Links | Information | Search

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.