€7,95

Acanthocephala haselbergii (Haage ex Rümpler) 

🌱 Morphology
 A solitary, relatively fast-growing cactus with a globose or slightly depressed, bright green body that can reach about 10 cm in height and 15 cm in diameter. It features around 30 low, geometrically arranged ribs and small areoles with white wool. The body is almost completely hidden by an extraordinary cover of fine, soft, and densely arranged silvery-white spines, which take on yellowish hues with age. The apex is usually slightly tilted, an adaptation that prevents water accumulation at the growth point.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to southern Brazil, mainly Rio Grande do Sul, where it grows on rocky outcrops, cliffs, and open fields at approximately 200 to 1500 m. It belongs to the Cactaceae family. Acanthocephala haselbergii is the name used in Lodé’s treatment; Parodia haselbergii is currently the accepted name by Kew.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9a
Tolerates minimum temperatures down to −5 ºC when kept dry and if the specimen is well-acclimated. Wet cold should be avoided, especially in winter.

☀️ Lighting
Needs plenty of light to develop its characteristic silvery spine cover and promote flowering. Direct sun or very intense light is recommended, with progressive acclimation, and a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ during active growth.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During the winter, watering is significantly reduced, keeping the substrate almost dry and avoiding leaving it cold and wet. In spring and summer, it tolerates more generous watering than many xerophytic cacti, always allowing the substrate to dry out between waterings.

🌸 Flowering
The flowers appear on the crown, are intense orange to brick red, and reach about 2 cm in diameter. Each flower can remain open for 1 to 3 weeks. It flowers for the first time when it reaches approximately 5 cm in diameter, usually around 4–5 years from seed. Flowering begins in late winter and continues throughout the spring, potentially lasting up to about two months with successive blooms. It is self-compatible, so an isolated specimen can produce seeds, although in nature it depends on pollinators.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low levels of nitrogen, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactáceas, is recommended, applied once a month when watering. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Floración.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technical square pot with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.

📏 The sizes of our basic collection xerophytes are as follows:

S -> 9cm x 9cm

M-> 14cm x 14 cm

L->16cm x 16 cm

* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the sent specimen may vary slightly from the product image. The plant's measurements are specified in the photo description, but this may also vary slightly, because, it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.

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