Description:

Body: single, in age columnar up to 1.8 m height and up to 27 cm in diameter.

Epidermis: fresh green, brown corked at the base when old; plants in youth densely covered with white wool-flakes, aged only sporadically flocked.

Ribs: 8, at the age until 11, sharp, normally straight, rarely spiral-formed, about 5 cm deep.

Areoles: in young plants about 5 cm apart, confluent at the age, filled with yellow or later brownish-gray wool felt, about 15 mm long, 10 mm wide.

Spines: 1-2 center spines sticking out at right angles, one of them is sometimes slightly bent downwards, 7-10 straight, slightly radially oriented edge spines, brown to yellow, stiff, pungent; center spines up to 9 cm long, marginal spines up to 6 cm long.

Flowers: up to 6 cm long, up to 11 cm in diameter, yellow, stamens about 6-10 mm long, yellow, yellow pistil, up to 25 mm long with 7 up to 12 about 13 mm long stigmas; the nectar chamber is about 4 mm high; the ovary is about 6 mm in diameter, receptacle is slightly fleshy filled outside with numerous stinging brown scales.
Fruit matured in approximately 3 weeks after pollination, dry, green star shape opening on the top.

Fruits: matured in approximately 3 weeks after pollination, dry, green, star shape opening on the top.

Seeds: black to brown, hat-formed, about 2 mm in size, 80-150 seeds per fruit, at maturity with a white elaiosome which is eaten by ants and so serves the seed-dipersal.

Seedlings

Astrophytum ornatum
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