€42,40

🌱 Morphology
  Living off the mist...  A slow-growing cactus, generally solitary, although it can form loose clusters with age. The stem is globose to cylindrical and slightly depressed, grayish-green in color, with an apex covered in characteristic light gray wool. It can reach about 15–30 cm in height and 5–13 cm in diameter. It has 10–17 broad, low, and obtuse ribs, slightly divided into tubercles. The areoles, initially yellowish-gray, darken with age and develop 4–7 acicular radial spines and usually 1–2 central ones, which are straight, reddish-brown to black, and turn gray over time.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
A species endemic to the coast of northern Chile, from the vicinity of Chañaral to Caldera, in the Atacama Region, from sea level up to about 1,000 m. It inhabits one of the most arid environments on the planet, on hills and rocky terrain of the coastal desert, where rainfall is extremely scarce and the camanchaca (coastal fog) constitutes an essential source of moisture. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, genus Copiapoa. The name used follows the classification by Joël Lodé in Taxonomy of the Cactaceae, volumes III–VI, 2026. Copiapoa atacamensis var. calderana, Copiapoa boliviana, and Copiapoa lembckei are historical names or synonyms.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 10a–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures close to 0 ºC, provided it is kept completely dry. Cultivation sources place it primarily in USDA zones 10–11, so it is not recommended to expose it to prolonged frosts.

☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense lighting, although in its habitat direct radiation can be partially attenuated by coastal fog. In cultivation, adult specimens can be kept in full sun, provided a progressive adaptation is carried out. As a general target during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. It comes from one of the driest deserts in the world and must be grown with very controlled watering. During the growth period, it is recommended to water moderately, allowing the substrate to dry completely before adding more water. In autumn, watering is progressively reduced until it is kept dry during the winter. The combination of cold and humidity is especially dangerous for its tuberous roots.

🌸 Flowering
It produces pale yellow, slightly scented, funnel-shaped flowers, about 2.5–3.5 cm long and up to 3 cm in diameter. They appear at the apex and usually open during spring and summer. The fruits are small, pale green to greenish-pink, and contain numerous black seeds.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low nitrogen levels is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactáceas, 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 high-tech square pot with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

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