CUSCOENSIS   Pino, Galiano & Núñez, 2017

Series Racemosae

Type : Peru : Dept. Cusco, Prov. Calca, Dist. Pisac, Ruins of P'isaq, on cliffs of mountain facing the ruins crossing Kitamayo stream, 3460 m, G. Pino, W.H. Galiane, P. Núñez v. 2716.

Etymology : Named for the region of Cusco where it is widespread.

Distribution : Peru, Dept. Cusco.

First Description by Pino, Galiano & Núñez in Cactus and Succulent Journal US 89(2): 52 - 56. 2017 :

A succulent glabrous, solitary or proliferous herb eventually forming loose light clusters.

Roots 4 - 10 or more, fascicular and fibrous, 3 - 5 cm long, 1.5 - 2.5 mm in diameter, light grey.

Stem procumbent, usually unobserved, subterranean or hidden among mosses, rarely aerial in exposed sites, 0.4 - 2,5 cm diam., light green to brownish, branching only from the base, decumbent up to 60 (-90) cm long in very old plants.

Rosettes usually one at the end of stem, up to 6 in very old plants, (4-) 6 - 8 (-15) cm diam.

Leaves 18 - 32, sessile, rhomboid obovate to sub-spathulate, slightly incurved at tip, 2 - 5 cm long, 0.6 - 0.9 cm wide at base, 0.9 - 1.5 cm wide 1 cm from apex, 1.1 - 1.7 (-2.5) cm wide at middle, 6 - 9 mm thick, upper side concave to canaliculate, faceted 1 - 2 mm near margins, light olive green in the shade, purplish green when exposed, more reddish or purplish in outer leaves or in dry exposed plants, central nerve frequently prominent, with lighter stripes corresponding to central nerve and facet angles, margins lighter in color, obscurely curved inwards, lower side keeled or convex, light green to reddish where exposed, redder at keel, apex acute to obtuse, rarely cuspidate, with an acute slightly recurved hyaline mucro 1 mm long at apex, base hyaline.

Flowering stem an oblique or horizontal raceme, rarely 2, rachis 8 - 20 (-28) cm long, 3 - 4 mm diam. at base, 2 - 3 mm diam. at apex, light green to pink at proximal third, bright red at distal half or third. Peduncular bracts 7 - 12, appearing from the proximal third or half, spaced evenly 1 - 2 cm apart, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, straight to slightly recurved or incurved, tips acute, 1.3 - 2.3 cm long, 0.3 - 1 cm wide, 2 - 3 mm thick, upper side concave to flat or convex, middle nerve sometimes conspicuously lighter and prominent, lower side convex, olive green, reddish at tip and margins, base hyaline. Pedicels oblique, 1 - 2 cm long, 1.3 - 1.5 mm diam., red, with 0 - 1 lanceolate or narrowly ovate bracteoles near calyx, when present 3 - 4 mm long and 0.5 - 1 mm wide, olive green.

Flowers 3 - 6, appearing from October to November, present only on the distal fourth or fifth of the raceme, 1.4 - 1.6 cm long and 0.6 - 0.7 cm in diam. Calyx lobes united at base, sepals unequal, narrowly ovate  acute, spreading in 45°, upper side slightly recurving, 7 - 11 mm long, 2 - 3.5 mm wide, olive green. Corolla urceolate, sub-pentagonal, 7 - 8 mm thick near base, 5 - 6 mm thick near apex, 1.4 - 1.6 cm long, 3 - 4 mm wide, outer surface keeled, yellowish on apical half and red orange on basal half, apex uncinate, recurving, inner surface yellow on distal half, orange in basal half.