€10,60

🌱 Morphology
Columnar and branched cactus, initially erect in growth, which can reach up to about 3.5 m in height. The stems, 8–9 cm in diameter, feature a characteristic glaucous blue epidermis, especially intense in young shoots. It develops 8–9 slightly arched ribs, up to 1 cm high and 2.5 cm wide, separated by marked furrows. The areoles are oval and sparsely woolly. Spination is variable: young stems may have 1–2 black central spines, up to 3.5 cm long, and 4–5 brownish radial spines up to 1.5 cm long, while in adult stems it may be considerably reduced or disappear.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
Endemic to Minas Gerais, in southeastern Brazil, especially in the Diamantina region, Serra do Cabral and the western slopes of the Serra do Espinhaço. It grows between 500 and 1200 m of altitude, associated with crystalline rock outcrops in campo rupestre, carrasco and cerrado, within a seasonally dry tropical biome. It belongs to the Cactaceae family. The species is listed as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN and its populations are threatened by habitat degradation, especially from mining and fires.

❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 10a–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC, provided the specimen is dry, acclimatized, and exposure to cold is brief. It is a species of seasonal tropical origin and is quite a bit more sensitive to cold and winter humidity than many cacti from desert areas.

☀️ Lighting
During active growth, it requires high lighting, with an approximate target of 18–25 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR. Direct sun promotes compact development and the intense glaucous blue coloration of the epidermis, always through progressive acclimatization.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During spring and summer, it maintains active growth and it is recommended to water abundantly, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. In autumn, water supply is gradually reduced and during winter it should be kept practically dry, especially when temperatures are low.

🌸 Flowering
White nocturnal flowers, up to about 7.5 cm in length, with a bluish pericarpel and floral tube. The fruits are globose, smooth, and have an intense blue color due to the thick layer of pruina that covers their surface. In Madrid, it can flower mainly between June and August.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low nitrogen levels, 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 technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

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