Ferocactus Gracilis seed cactus seed pack of 20 seeds

Ferocactus Gracilis seed Description: Ferocactus gracilis is an exceptionally attractive red-spined barrel with remarkably red flowers and yellow fruit, which was discovered by Mr. Howard E. Gates in 1928. Mr. Gates published the species in 1933. It is quite variable. In Baja California Ferocactus gracilis can be confused with Ferocactus cylindraceus; the latter species has yellow flowers while those of the former are almost always red.
Habit: It is a large solitary, ribbed barrel cactus, becoming cylindric in age and attaining exceptionally a height of 3 metres.
Stem: Unbranched, deep green, at first globular and later cylindrical, erect, up to 1,5(or more) meters high (but usually about 70 cm), up to 30 wide.
Ribs: 16 to 24, prominent, acute, slightly tuberculate and expanded under areoles, 2 cm. high.
Areoles: Young areoles light-grey felted, oval to elliptic, 15-20 mm long, 6 mm wide constricted between the flower and the spine-bearing section, 4 cm apart or even less in old plants.
Spines: Clearly differentiated into stout coloured centrals and fine, white radials.
Central spines: 7-13 in two series, reddish with yellow tips, greyish or brown, banded, somewhat curved, twisted and tangled, annulate, the main 4 forming a cross, upper and lower flattened, lateral two subulate, lower longest, to 7 cm long, 5 mm wide, rather convolute and curved or booked at tip.
Radial spines: 8-12 whitish, spreading, to 6 cm long, variable, slender, straight, flattened-setaceous,sometimes twisted, lower three stouter acicular to subulate.
Flowers: Funnelform, about 4 long and 3,5 cm in diameter, reddish with darker red midveins. Ovary with widely placed scales intergrading into obtuse, red, outer perianth segments. Inner inner perianth segments linear-lanceolate, 25 mm long, 5-7 mm. wide, midstripe lavender-red, margins yellow, serrulate. Filaments numerous, fine, appressed against style. Style 22 mm. long, yellow and red above, stigma lobes 9.
Blooming season: The plants usually bloom during late spring or early summer, occasionally in late summer. Solitary bees are probably the most important pollinators. Ants visit extrafloral nectaries on the plant apex and may protect the cactus from insect herbivores.
Fruit: Oblong cylindrical, yellowish, 2,5 cm long, bearing broad rounded scales, not dehiscing by basal pores.
Seeds. Rounded, not angled 1,7-2 mm long, 1,1-1,3 mm wide, black and shiny.