Characteristics
A cactus. The plants usually occur singly. They are a flattened round shape. They can be 1.1 m high and 80 cm wide. The stem tips are woolly. There are 20-40 ribs. The spine buds join each other. The spines are stout and yellow turning brown. There are 1-4 central spines that are up to 9 cm long and 3-9 spines around these which are 8 cm long. The flowers are bell shaped and yellow. They are 2-3.5 cm long and 2.5-3.5 cm wide. The fruit are fleshy. They are 2-3 cm long and burst open to release their seeds.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
-
|
| Growth support |
free-standing
|
| Foliage retention |
deciduous
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
0.5
|
| Mature height (meter) |
0.7
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
In Hobart Botanical Gardens.
| Light |
|
| Soil humidity |
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The flower buds are fried or boiled and eaten. The middle of the stem is removed and cut into pieces and boiled for 2-3 hours and sugar added then boiled to a thick candy. The fruit are eaten raw. The juice from the fruit is extracted and used in marmalade and wines.
Cultivation
| Mode |
-
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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