€10,60

🌱 Morphology
Columnar, tree-like cactus that can branch with age and reach several meters in height. Young stems have a distinctive blue-green colour, especially intense under bright light. It develops approximately 15–18 low, tuberculate ribs with slightly sunken areoles. The spines are strong and relatively long: it has 1–3 central spines that can reach about 8 cm, accompanied by several radial spines. With age, it develops a very distinctive tree-like structure.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
It is endemic to Peru, where it is mainly found in the Mantaro inter-Andean valleys and the regions of Ayacucho and Huancavelica. It grows at approximately 1,000–3,000 m above sea level, on dry slopes in inter-Andean valleys, associated with dry forests and open areas, on stony or sandy soils. It belongs to the Cactaceae family.

❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 10a–11b
It is a warm-climate cactus that is not particularly frost-tolerant. It can tolerate occasional minimum temperatures of up to −1 ºC, provided it is kept completely dry and well acclimatised. In Mediterranean climates, it should be protected during winter from frost and, especially, from the combination of cold and moisture.

☀️ Lighting
During active growth, it requires very intense light, with a target of approximately 18–25 mol/m²/day DLI PAR. Once acclimatised, it tolerates direct sunlight, and high light levels enhance the distinctive blue-green colour of the young stems. Specimens grown under protection must be gradually acclimatised to direct sunlight.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During spring and summer, it continues to grow actively and can be watered generously, allowing the growing medium to dry out completely before watering again. In winter, watering should be drastically reduced and the plant kept almost dry, especially when temperatures are low. Its origin in dry inter-Andean valleys makes it particularly important to avoid waterlogging.

🌸 Flowering
Flowers appear near the apex during summer. They are white, nocturnal and tubular, about 5 cm in diameter, with a perianth covered in small scales. In their natural habitat, they are pollinated by bats. In Madrid, flowering can mainly be expected between June and August. The fruits are dry, globose and about 2.5 cm in diameter.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertiliser high in readily available calcium and low in nitrogen is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Cacti, applied once a month when watering. Before flowering, this can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot, with the growing medium enriched with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

📏 The sizes of our xerophytes are as follows:

S -> 9 x9cm

M-> 13x13 cm

L->16x16 cm

XL  18x18 cm

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

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