Astrophytum asterias, morphology
Body non-branched, flat, dark green.
Diameter 3(8)16 cm.
Height 2 to 6 cm. Just flat with the ground surface, the plant body grows on the native location nearly complete buried. Only in culture in the old sometimes spherical till cloumnar.
Root: the buried body is meaty, turnip-like, with fine roots.
Ribs 5(8)11, flat, seldom increased rib edges, deepened rib edges sometimes. The normal rib number eight is very constant, independent of the age of the plant.
Spines: None. Only seedlings show till about 6 months rudimentery spines.
Hairy scales in irregular patterns, sometimes arched around the areoles. Cultivated plants possess sometimes very dense hairy scales. There are also completely flake free species at the habitat.
Areoles round, cream-colored till white hairy up to 6 mm of diameters. The areoles are ordered normally in a variable separation up to 10 mm, however, can particularly flow at cultivated plants into each other.
Flowers from the vegetation point, (60) 74 mm in diameter, normally yellow with a red, orange or rare pure yellow throat. Flowers occur also with pink colored perianth, not mistake for the fact that the flower colour tends at all Astrophytums with an increasing flourishing duration ("Forget-me-not" effect) to pink . Pistil with 1(6)9 stigmatas. The plant is flourishing capable about of 3 cm of diameter.
Fruit bear like, particularly at the lower area completely naked, without spines, in the upper area hairy. In the mature state pink till lead-gray. It doesn't open like the other species on the top or at the base but "disintegrates" in the lower part. Maturity time 20 (31) days.
Seed at pink, welled spermatic cords which obvious serve the distribution by ants or rodents (birds?). Seed colour of bright stain colors to deep black. The colour gets darker as in the case of all Astrophytums with the maturity duration. Seed number per fruit (67) 134. Approx. 2 mm large, cap formed.
Seedlings with very succulent cotyledons. Also a reduced, very succulent, spherical hypocotyl. Within the first weeks and months with rudimentary spines. (Comparison A. asterias - A. capricorne)
Mimicry by silhouetteless growth, sand covering, rib grooves appear as crack formation in the sand.
Literature from the author:
A chance with far reaching consequences...
At the habitat of Astrophytum asterias, Texas..
A surprise at the habitat of Astrophytum asterias...
Original description
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum asterias cv. Super Kabuto & Miracle Kabuto
Photos
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