Lace hedgehog cactus and its "orthostichies"
Lace hedgehog cactus and its "orthostichies"
There are 5 spirals winding clockwise...
...and 8 spirals winding counter-clockwise.
Note that the spines are arranged on 13 ridges, which match the number of petal-like tufts formed by the outer spines. In general, the number of rows stacked more vertically equals the sum of the number of spirals in both directions. Here: 13 = 5 + 8. Botanists call these more vertical rows "orthostichies."