Acanthocephala graessneri (ex. Parodia) | Araucaria Cactus
€7,95
Acanthocephala graessneri (K.Schum.) Guiggi ·
🌱 Morphology
Solitary cactus, relatively fast-growing, with a globose stem or slightly depressed at the apex, intense green to bluish-green, up to about 10 cm tall and 15 cm in diameter. It has between 50 and 60 very low ribs, divided into small tubercles, creating a finely undulating surface. The areoles are small and provided with short white wool. It develops an extraordinary crown of up to 60 fine, flexible, and bristle-like radial spines, up to 2 cm long, generally golden yellow or pale yellow; the 5–6 central ones are more robust. Some forms have almost white spines or very light bristles.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Native to southern Brazil, mainly from Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. It lives as a rupicolous plant on rocky fields and walls of the Planalto das Araucárias, in subtropical climate environments. It belongs to the Cactaceae family. The name Acanthocephala graessneri is the one used by Joël Lodé; Parodia graessneri and Notocactus graessneri are widely used synonymous names.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9a
It tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −5 ºC when kept dry and with well-acclimatized specimens. Although it comes from a humid region, it must be protected from the combination of cold and excess water during winter.
☀️ Lighting
It needs plenty of light to maintain dense and compact spination. Direct sun or very intense light is recommended, with progressive acclimatization, and a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ during active growth.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During the cold period, watering is greatly reduced, keeping the substrate practically dry. In spring and summer, it tolerates more frequent watering than many xerophytic cacti, always allowing the substrate to dry out completely between waterings.
🌸 Flowering
The flowers are small, approximately 2–2.5 cm, with yellowish-green to emerald green tones, and appear around the crown. Flowering begins when it reaches about 5 cm in diameter, which usually happens at 3-4 years of age. It blooms at the end of winter and the beginning of spring and can last for about 6–8 weeks, with successive flowers. It is self-compatible, so an isolated specimen can produce seeds.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low levels of nitrogen is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactaceae, applied once a month when watering. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
📏 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 measurements of the plant 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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