Caules pendentes trigoni prope basin, alibi plani, 3-4 cm lati espinosi; receptaculum podariis inconspicuis, bracteis solum ad apicem, espinosi; fructus espinosi purpureo - ruber. 

• Stems -  at first erect-ascending, finally pendent, to 80 cm long or more, primary stems usually trigonous along the basal 3 - 4 cm and there ca. 1-1.5 cm wide, remainder of stem flat, 3 - 4 cm wide, midrib prominent, ca. 5 mm wide and to 2 mm high, stem margins crenate, the lobes oblique, 20-30 mm long, projecting 3- 4 mm, epidermis dark green;
• Areoles - elliptic, the long axis parallel to stem margin, ca. 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, with white wool less than 0.75 mm long, spines entirely lacking.
• Flowers -  1-2 at an areole, 17-19 mm long, opening 15-20 mm; receptacle 5-6 mm long, 6 mm thick at upper half, orange, podaria ca. 5, brownish orange, rather inconspicuous, extend­ing from near base of receptacle to its apex, ob­tuse below, subacute above and there ca. 1 mm high, bracteoles usually confined to receptacle apex, rarely on apical half, deltoid, acute, less than 0.5 mm long and wide, tan, subtending white wool less than 0.25 mm long, spines lacking;
• Outer tepals - expanding at ca. 45°, the lowest ovate, the upper ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, acute, minutely apiculate, 2-12 mm long, 2 - 4 mm wide, orange, lighter orange near margins;  
• Nectary Chamber -  globose; receptacle tube ca. 2 mm long;
• Stamens -  ca. 40, inserted in a ring ca. 0.75 mm above base of receptacle tube, 5 - 6 mm long, the filaments yellowish, anthers ca. 0.25 mm thick, yellow; style 8 mm long, white, stigma-lobes 4, recurving, white, heavily papillose.
• Fruit -  globose-oblong, 10 - l2 mm long, 10 - 11 mm thick, podaria present on young fruit, finally lacking, bracteoles 4 - 6, usually within 2 mm of fruit-apex, spines lacking, persistent floral re­mains ca. 1 cm long, tan; epidermis purplish red.
• Seed -  comma-shaped, 2 mm long, ca. 1.33 mm wide, nearly smooth, dark brown, hilum nearly parallel to main seed-axis. 

BOLIVIA. Dept. Cochabamba: road from Cochabamba - Chapare highway to Tablas (or Tablas Montes), about halfway between the highway and the sawmill at bottom of valley, epiphytic, 1974, E. Aguilar s. n.; Kimnach et al. 2757, Huntington B.G. 51587

L. monacantha

Previous Page