Cleistocactus winteri

This plant is a columnar cactus that forms huge tangled mounds of fairly rapid growth hanging or creeping, green shoots, up to high with stems in diameter and 16 to 17 ribs, with 50 spines long. The brown areoles on it are close together. It has many short bristly golden spines that are flexible, thin and straight and literally cover the surface of the stems. The approximately 20 stronger central spines are 5 to 10 millimeters long. The plant requires water during the summer and to be kept dry in the winter. It reproduces by seeds and cuttings. It has salmon-pink flowers in spring and summer that are long and in diameter. Depending on the position of the shoots, the flowers are bent upwards to outwards to upright. The bracts are orange-red. The outer ones are radiating to slightly reflexed, the inner ones distinctly shorter and erect. Its flowers survive for a few days before transitioning to fruit for a short period of time which are long. The stamens and style protrude from the flower. The barrel-shaped, green to reddish-green fruits are 7 to 10 millimeters long and reach the same diameter. Image:Cleistocactus winteri.JPG|form Image:Cleistocactus winteri up close.JPG|close-up File:IMG 1007-1-Cleistocactus winteri.jpg|Flower ==Distribution==