Other cacti in habitat
Notocactus schumannianus (Nicolai 1893) Fric 1928
Notocactus schumannianus – especially plants in habitat – seem to remain unaffected by the decision (made by the International Cactaceae Systematics Group) to put the genus Notocactus under the genus Parodia. Be that as it may, my visit of the Cerro Acahay remains an unforgettable experience. It takes us almost two hours to manage the 250m of height difference between valley and peak. The vegetation is almost impenetrable, fog and nagging questions concerning our success suppress any potential flashes of euphoria. We are pretty beat up when we finally reach the peak at noon. To our joy, the sun decided to shine and the thick vegetation has vanished as well. We see members of the genera Brasiliopuntia, Cereus, Cleistocactus and Selenicereus, only the plants we are looking for still elude us. Shortly afterwards we find the first Notocactus schumannianus which were described as Notocactus schumannianus v. grossei in this area. The differences between both characterisations are marginal. I am ecstatic, even though they are no Gymnos. There are hundreds of plants. The size of the individuals is impressive – some reach heights in excess of one metre. The Notocacti have a very dense, fine spination; the crooked apex leans towards the highest amounts of light. Old plants are all corky around the base.
