Neoporteria napina f. glabrescens

Synonyms:

Eriosyce glabrescens
Chileorebutia aerocarpa
Chileorebutia glabrescens
Eriosyce aerocarpa
Eriosyce napina subsp. aerocarpa
Eriosyce napina subsp. glabrescens
Eriosyce odieri subsp. glabrescens
Neochilenia carneoflora
Neoporteria napina var. aerocarpa
Neoporteria napina f. nuda
Neoporteria reichei f. aerocarpa
Neoporteria reichei f. carneoflora
Thelocephala aerocarpa
Thelocephala glabrescens

Habitat:

Neoporteria napina f. glabrescens is native to Chile North where the plant grows in arid areas in sandy-clayey soil and can spread up to 200 m of altitude.

Description:

Neoporteria napina f. glabrescens is an uncommon, drought resistant cactus belonging to the Cactaceae botanical family. The cactus has an erect habit and can reach up to 8 cm in diameter and 8 cm in height. The stem is spherical to barrel-shaped, glaucous blue to green and arranged in 16-18 well-defined rhomboid ribs. The grey areoles are located along the ribs and bear the spines. The radial spines are very short, sometimes absent, black, recurved and spider-like. The central spines are absent. The roots are very developed, large, tuberous and turnip-shaped. Blooming occurs during the spring and the densely hairy blossom are borne at the apex of the stem. The flowers are large, funnel-shaped, from pale yellow to bright pink with paler throat and last few days. There are many varieties of this species and seem to be all interfertile so the genus Neoporteria have been dismissed and remain for collector’s use only. The flowering is very gorgeous and eye-catching so this plant cannot be missing from your collection.

Cultivation:

The plant has a slow growth rate but it easy to cultivate. The plant needs a full light sun exposure but is recommended to avoid direct sun-light in the hottest periods. The minimum temperatures that the plant can withstand are 7° C, below this temperature it begins to suffer so it needs to be placed indoors in the coldest periods. The soil should be mixed with pumice, clay and loam to allow the drainage and prevent the root rot, the plant is prone to it indeed. Using a perforating pot, you can drain excess water. Watering can be done regularly in Spring and Summer: during the vegetative period you can water the plant (every 7 days), checking that the soil is completely dry before watering again; in winter you should stop the watering to allow the plant to enter dormancy. About fertilization, for this plant is sufficient to fertilize moderately during the growing season with the specific fertilizers for succulents and stop fertilizing during the winter. If the pot starts to be too small for the plant you can repot the plant in a pot 2 cm wider. Repotting should be done early in the growing season with fresh new potting soil. Be careful to red spiders and mealy bugs.

Propagation:

Propagation can be done by cutting :  you can make the cut during the spring and then let the cutting dry; after a few days the cut surface will dry and a callus will form, then place the cutting in a mixture of sand, soil and pumice. To increase the success of propagation you can make two or more cuttings at the same time. For cuttings it is recommended temperatures around 20 °C.

Curiosity:

Its name comes from Carlos E. Porter, a Chilean entomologist. It is not considered an autonomous genus: it was first considered to be part of the Echinocactus, and is now included in the Eriosyce genus. The specific epithet “napina” comes from Latin and means “similar to a turnip”.

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

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