Body-grey-green, globular later
elongated, to 1 m high, 8-12 cm across forming clumps. Very hard with
flat woolly crown; Areoles--nearly round, 10-17 mm across,
yellowish-brown, thick long felt becoming grey, to 5 mm apart;
Spines--light yellowish-brown, when new tips only a little darker,
becoming grey. Stout to very stout, rigid, straight or curved,
.sometimes claw like. Surface ca. fibrous, often flaking off. 7-10
radials, pointing sideways or erect, 15-50 mm long. 2-5 centrals
irregularly positioned, 2-6 cm long; Flower 2.5 to 3 cm long, carmine
pink to pink-yellow to light yellow, outer petals redder. Anthers cream.
Style only 10-13 mm long, stigma with 4-8 light yellow to orange lobes.
Tube and ovary greenish-white or pink with long areole wool. Ovary wall
twice as thick as in Copiapoa, flower scented; Fruit green to
red, 15 mm long, 15 mm thick, lid-like at the top. Seed 2 mm long x 1.33
mm x 0.67 mm, black, smooth; Habitat-El Cobre, east of mist zone.
Note: Lembcke in 1966 considered
this species to be synonymous with C. conglomerata. Backeberg
believed it to be allied to C. bridgesii. because of the hairy
tube. However, the hair of flower tubes may not be that important, if we
consider them in the light of Matucana and Submatucana or
Rebutia and Aylostera.
Knize recognises a variety
luteispina KK 1239.
Ritter (Kakt. Sudamer. 1980) now
treats this species as a Copiapoa and reduces C. ferox and
C. conglomerata to synonymy.
