LARESENSIS   Pino & Kamm, 2017

Series Racemosae

Type : G. Pino 2736. Peru. Dept. Cusco, Prov. Calca, Dist. Lares, on cliffs, trail upward hill crossing bridge after Lares Hotsprings, 3270 m, Nov 16, 2014.

Etymology : Named for the place where it was found growing.

Distribution : Peru (Dept. Cusco, Lares Hotsprings), only known from the type locality.

First Description by Pino & Kamm in Cactus and Succulent Journal US 89(2): 62 - 64. 2017 :

A succulent glabrous, proliferous herb eventually forming clusters to 25 cm diameter with up to 10 rosettes.

Roots many, fascicular and fibrous, 3 - 5 cm long, 0.6 - 0.6 mm diam., light grey, growing mostly from each node of semi-stoloniferous stems.

Stems procumbent, 6 - 20 cm long or more, 0.4 - 0.6 cm diam., scarcely branching from the base, branches 1 - 6, decumbent in very old plants, with nodes every 3.5 - 4. 5 cm with remaining leaves of dry rosettes.

Rosettes 1, usually at the end of main stem or branch, (2-) 3 - 8 (-11) cm diam.

Leaves 16 - 20, sessile, narowly obovate, acute to cuspidate, 1.5 - 4.5 (-7) cm long, 0.5 - 0.7 cm wide at base, 1 - 1.4 cm wide 1 cm from apex, 0.8 - 1.2 cm wide at middle, 2 - 3 mm thick, upper side flat to slightly concave, light glaucous green, pruinose with lighter areas, margins whitish, lower side convex, sub-carinate, light glaucous green or purplish in the sun, with a 0.5 mm mucro at apex, base hyaline.

Flowering stem an oblique or horizontal raceme, rachis 12 - 18 cm long, 2.5 - 3.5 mm diam. at base, 1.8 - 2 mm diam. at apex, light glaucous green, turning pink since proximal third or half. Peduncular bracts 7 - 13, spaced evenly 0.8 - 1.8 cm apart, narrowly ovate, 1.3 - 2 (-3.5) cm long, 0.5 - 0.9 cm wide, 3 - 4 mm thick, glaucous green, carinate and somewhat reddish at the outer side. Pedicels ascending or oblique, 0.8 - 1 cm long, 1.7 - 2 mm diam., pink, with 1 - 2 bracteoles near calyx, 1 - 1.4 cm long and 3 - 4 mm wide, olive green.

Flowers 3 - 6, appearing from October to March, present only on the distal fourth of the raceme, 1 - 1.7 cm long and 0.8 - 0.9 cm in diam. Calyx lobes united at base, sepals unequal ovate acute, connate or spreading in a right angle, upper side slightly recurving, 4 - 5 mm long, 1.5 - 2 mm wide, olive green. Corolla urceolate, sub-pentagonal, 7 - 8 mm thick near base, 4 - 5 mm thick near apex, 1 - 1.7 cm long, petals linear lanceolate, acuminate, 1 - 1.2 cm long, 3.5 - 4 mm wide, outer surface keeled, yellowish on apical half and reddish on basal half, apex uncinate, recurving, inner surface yellow on distal half, orange in basal half.