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Echinopsis huascha var. grandiflora f. herzogii (Rausch)

Family: CACTACEAE · Variety or form of Echinopsis huascha

Publication: [as: Lobivia grandiflora var. herzogii Rausch 1987]

Description

Echinopsis huascha var. grandiflora f. herzogii - previously known as Lobivia grandiflora var. herzogii - is a miniature form, with dark red flowers on dwarf plants, probably a natural hybrid.

Habit: It is a basally branching columnar cactus, less than 15 cm tall.

Stems: Globose to short-cylindric, 4-5(-7) cm, in diameter.

Ribs: 12 to 18.

Areoles: Whitish brown about 1 cm apart.

Spines: Needle-like, subulate, unequal, dull-creamy-white, yellowish or brownish.

Central spines: 1 to 2 rarely more up to 2,5 cm long.

Radial spines: 9 to 11, 5-10 mm long.

Flowers: Diurnal, funnelform, 7-10 cm long, dark red produced near the end of the stems. Throat dark red, filaments fuchsia. Scales on the ovary narrow a little hairy in their axils.

Origin and Habitat

Tucuman to Jujuy to Salta to Catamarca, Argentina

Altitude: 1900-2000 meters above sea level.

Cultivation and Propagation

Echinopsis huascha (and its forms and varieties) is very easy to grow and cold hardy as low as -7°C (or less).

Growth rate This species produces noticeable amounts of growth each year if kept well fed and watered throughout the warmest months, particularly if it has been acclimatised to accept full sun. Once this cactus is established it can easily produce 10 cm of growth every year. Plants grown in the ground form soon imposing specimens.

Sun Exposure: Outside full sun, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun. During winter month, put them in a cool luminous place and encourage them to enter winter dormancy by withholding water and fertiliser over the winter as they will etiolate, or become thin, due to lower levels of light.

Soils: It needs a fertile, well drained soil mix.

Waterings: Water the plants well and allow them to dry before watering again. This species seems to do better with a little more water than most cacti. In fact, its cultivation requirements are really more like ‘normal’ plants than most other cacti.

Fertilization: During the growing season fertilize them monthly with a balanced fertilizer.

Pest and diseases: They are susceptible to fungal diseases if overwatered, but are not nearly as sensitive as many other cacti, especially in warm weather. They tend characteristically towards black rotted spots unless watering is moderate and only in hot weather, if kept damp through cold periods, they will invariably suffer.

Propagation: Cutting or from seed. The seeds are quite easy to germinate and grow. Their main requirements consist of high humidity levels, free-draining soil mix, and enough water, light, and nutrition. The flower colour is not always true from seeds.

Bibliography

Major references and further lectures

  1. Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001

  2. James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011

  3. David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. “The New Cactus Lexicon” dh books, 2006

  4. Friedrich Ritter “Kakteen in Südamerika: Ergebnisse meiner 20jährigen” Volume 2, Argentinien/Bolivien, Volume 2 Selbstverlag, 1980

  5. Curt Backeberg “Die Cactaceae: Handbuch der Kakteenkunde,” Volume 2 G. Fischer, 1959

  6. N. L. Britton and J. N. Rose “The ‘Cactaceae’, Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the ‘Cactus’ Family” volume 2 Carnegie Institution, 1920

  7. Gordon Douglas Rowley “Reunion of the genus Echinopsis”. In: IOS Bulletin. Journal of the International Organization for Succulent Plant Study. Volume 3, Nuber 3, page 94 , 1974

  8. Perea, M., Trevisson, M. & Demaio, P. 2013. Echinopsis huascha. In: IUCN 2013. “IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” Version 2013.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 01 November 2013.

  9. John Borg “Cacti: a gardener’s handbook for their identification and cultivation” Blandford P., 1970

  10. Walther Haage: “Kakteen von A bis Z.” Quelle & Meyer Verlag, Heidelberg 1986

  11. Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names.” Birkhäuser 2004

Gallery

Echinopsis huascha var. grandiflora f. herzogii
Echinopsis huascha var. grandiflora f. herzogii© Valentino Vallicelli · source · CC-BY-SA