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  Gymnocalycium eurypleurum CACTUS ART
NURSERY

Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents.


Gymnocalycium eurypleurum
Produces large white flowers with with a hint of lilac from mid spring to early summer.
 

Description: Always grows solitarily. It is a variable low growing species especially for spination. (Some plants have minimal spination while others seem quite heavily armed)
Stem: Glossy green, dull olive-green to brownish, flattish globular (mature plants may become slightly short columnar) 7-15(-20) cm across, with a somewhat sunken apex.
Ribs: Usually 7-12 (up to 16) , very flat and broad, with scarcely evident protuberances and often a small horizontal indention above the areoles.
Areoles: Covered by some tomentum.
Spines: Stout, awl shaped, glassy white to light-brown in clusters of about 7 mostly straight up to10-30(-60) mm in length, very symetrical, and tending to curve upwards, away from the body of the cactus.. no obvious central spine. The 1 or 2 central spines - when one exists - have the same length.
Flowers: Mostly near the apex, bell-shaped, pure white or white with a hint of lilac, about 30 mm in length and diameter. Inner petals are white to light pink, outer petals are a light purple colour with a dark purple centre strip. Filaments and style are white. Anthers creamy-white to pale yellow.
Blooming season: Flowers freely throughout the Summer.
Fruit: Round or barrel shaped, about 20 mm in diameter, red with scales of the same colour, fruits are juicy and of a carmine colour.
Seeds: Almost nodular, yellowish brown with very fine protuberances, about 0,7 mm in length, white hilum, long and thin.

Flowers are pure white or white with a hint of lilac. Filaments and style are white too.

Buds

Wet spines

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

Photo gallery Gymnocalicium


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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Scientific name: Gymnocalycium eurypleurum F.Ritter 1979 (Paraguay)

Common NameBlack Chin Cactus

Origin: Endemic to a from a small barren, inhospitable corner of North Paraguay almost up to the border to Bolivia. Called Cerro Leon (approximately 120 square kilometres)

Habitat:
Dry thorny forest up to 6 metre high with and almost impenetrable bushes where many groves shed their leaves during Winter (June-September). It grows along with opuntias and different bromelias. The soil consists of clayey silt that is covered by loess and loess clay. It is rich in nutrients with pH-value is between 6,8 and 7,2.During dry periods the ground becomes "rock-hard". The yearly rainfall ranges between 500 and 800 mm. During winter, temperatures sink as low as 0°C, while rising up to 50°C during summer.

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”).


This independent taxon seems to be related to the G. anisitsii/damsii complex.
 

 



Wet spines.

Cultivation: It is a summer grower species that offers no cultivation difficulties.  Water regularly in summer (but do not overwater ) Keep this plant almost dry in winter at a minimum temperature of 0°C, prefer relatively rich substrate and  low pH  compost (if possible not limestone) otherwise growth will stop altogether. Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer. It is quite frost resistant if kept dry (hardy to -5° C)
Sun Exposure: Light shade. It may
tolerate bright situations  but is
likely to suffer from sun scorch or stunted growth if over exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day in summer. This plant needs plenty of space for its roots, repotting should be done every other year or when the it has outgrown its pot. This species is particularly easy and accommodating, seldom suffer of cryptogamic diseases.

Propagation: Direct sow after last frost. (seldom produces offsets)

Seed Collecting: Permit fruit to ripen.  Fruit must be significantly overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seeds

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.