Horridocactus eriosyzoides

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Since 4 Aug 2013

Horridocactus eriosyzoides F.Ritter
Succulenta (Netherlands) 1959: 49.
Family: CACTACEAE

= Eriosyce eriosyzoides (F.Ritter) Ferryman
Cactaceae Syst. Init. 16: 11 (11 Oct. 2003)

Accepted Scientific Name: Eriosyce kunzei (C.F.Först.) Katt.
Eriosyce (Cactac.) gen. revis. & ampl. (Succ. Pl. Res., 1) 117 (1994)

Horridocactus eriosyzoides (Eriosyce eriosyzoides) Photo by: Peiffer Clement

Origin and Habitat: Huanta, Elquí Depart.up to the border of the province of Atacama.
Habitat and ecology: Eriosyce eriosyzoidesSN|2621]]SN|2621]] grows on rocky outcrops. It rare due its restricted distribution.

Synonyms:

Eriosyce eriosyzoides (F.Ritter) Ferryman

Horridocactus eriosyzoides F.Ritter
Neochilenia eriosyzoides (F.Ritter) Backeb.
Neoporteria eriosyzoides (F.Ritter) Donald & G.D.Rowley
Pyrrhocactus eriosyzoides (F.Ritter) F.Ritter

See all synonyms of Eriosyce kunzei

Description: Eriosyce eriosyzoidesSN|2621]]SN|2621]], is one of the many geographical or morphological form of Eriosyce kunzeiSN|2613]]SN|2613]]. Many variant of Eriosyce kunzeiSN|2621]]SN|2613]] was early classified as different independent species, but nowadays all this plants are considered part of a multiform species, where each form is linked to others by populations of plants with intermediate characteristics. Eriosyce eriosyzoidesSN|2613]]SN|2621]], has distinctive brownish-yellow to salmon silk-shining flowers with a darker purple middle stripe at the base of the petals. The stems are armed by strong spines curved inward and upward. This latter feature is the distinctive characteristic of Eriosyce kunzeiSN|2613]]SN|2613]] var. transitensis. Probably Eriosyce eriosyzoidesSN|2621]]SN|2621]] is only another name for E. kunzei var. transitensis, and it should, more properly, synonymized with the latter.
Stem: Solitary, globose, later elongated, ca 9-12 cm thick, bluish-grey-
green.
Roots: Short, with a thick tap-root beet with sometimes a thinner neck.
Ribs: 13-17, about 10-12 mm high,often curved, blunt, at the areole, laterally compressed, with clear chins under the areloes. Often tuching each other in the longitudinally.
Areoles: 7-10 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, white felt, 5-10 mm free distance.
Spines: Strongly curved, rigid, never flexuose and noticeably thickened at the base. Radial spines 10-15, 15-40 mm long, curved inward and upward light at first greyish-brown to greyish-yellowish, tips darker, grey with age. Central spines about 4-7, bent upwards, 2-5 cm long.
Flowers: Apical, odorless, approx 33 mm long, 30mm wide open, funnel-form to campanulate. Pericarpel ca. 7 mm long, grass green, with tiny narrow yellowish scales and dull white wool. Nectary pale green, tubular, 3 mm high, 4 mm wide, half closed by the stamens bases.
Tube funnel-form, about 1 cm high, inside pale green, outside grass green, richly scaled to the top with whitish, straight, almost piercing bristles. Stamens pale greenish-yellowish, the lowest ones 6 mm long, the uppermost ca 10 mm. Anther lemon yellow. Style 2 cm long, bottom white, top
salmon coloured, stigma lobes about 11, nearly smooth, yellow, 3-4 mm long. Tepals lanceolate, ca. 15 mm long, 5 mm broad, base slightly narrower, rounded, apex toothed, strongly silk-shining, light brownish-yellow to salmon-coloured with purple middle stripe, which is wide down and does not go up to the tip.
Fruits: About 20 mm long, 15 mm thick, reddish-green to almost red, with a lot of white woolly flakes. The seeds fall from the fruit through a round basal pore (hole) opening after the detachment of the fruit from the areola.
Seeds: Frosted black, about 1.2 mm long, 0.8 mm wide, 0.5 mm thick, dorsally strong-
bulges; Testa very fine grained and roughly ribbed. Hilum oval, white.

More...

Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Eriosyce kunzei group

Eriosyce eriosyzoides (F.Ritter) Ferryman: has brownish-yellow to salmon silk-shining flowers. Spines strong thickened at the base curved inward and upward. Distribution: Huanta, Elquí Depart. up to the border of the province of Atacama.
Eriosyce kunzei (C.F.Först.) Katt.: has very thin, needle-like spines; stigma-lobes erect to slightly spreading; seeds only sometimes ribbed. Distribution: is found throughout the range of the species.
Eriosyce kunzei var. transitensis (F.Ritter) Katt.: has much thicker spines; stigma-lobes clasped together; seed deeply ribbed. Distribution: east of Vallenar to Conay, Atacama.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Fred Kattermann “Eriosyce (Cactaceae): The Genus Revised and Amplified” David Hunt, 1994
2) “Boletín - Museo Nacional de Historia Natural”, Edizioni 46-48 1997
3) “Plantas altoandinas en la flora silvestre de Chile” Ediciones Fundación Claudio Gay, 1998
4) F. Ritter “Kakteen in Südamerika” volume 3 Chile. Spangenberg. 857-1238 1980

Cultivation and Propagation: It is a summer-growing species. Easy to cultivate but somewhat rot prone if kept in a non-ventilated place. It requires a very fast draining drying soil. Water regularly in summer, but place. It requires a very fast draining drying soil. Water regularly in summer, but do not over-water.
Needs a full sun exposure (or light shade). Good heat tolerance. Hardy to at least -5°C (but it can probably tolerate
-10° C for brief periods)
Propagation: Usually propagated from Seeds. ( It seldom produces offsets)

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Cite this page: "Horridocactus eriosyzoides" Text available under a CC-BY-SA Creative Commons Attribution License. www.llifle.com 14 Nov. 2005. 07 Apr 2025. </Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/2622/Horridocactus_eriosyzoides>