Discocactus heptacanthus

Description

Discocactus heptacanthus is a species of Magnoliopsida first described by João Barbosa Rodrigues, and given the simplified Asian name by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose. Discocactus heptacanthus belongs to the genus Discocactus, and the family Cactaceae. None of these subspecies are listed. Discocactus is a genus of tropical cacti. The name comes from the ancient Greek diskos because of its shape. Discocactus plants are endemic to southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia, and northern Paraguay. These species are in the risk of extinction in the wild. The plants have a slightly flattened spherical shape. The areoles bear sharp spines. At the apex of the adult plants, there is a wooly cephalium, white or shaded with yellow or grey. The white nocturnal flowers appear on the sides of the cephalium. The fruits are pink or red and contain black seeds. All species are listed under Appendix I of CITES meaning commercial international trade is prohibited and non-commercial international trade is regulated.