Coryphantha cornifera | Horned pincushion cactus
€7,95
🌱 Morphology
With horns... Generally a solitary cactus, although it can form clusters with age, with a globose to cylindrical body, matte olive-green in color, approximately 6–12 cm tall and 8–15 cm in diameter. The apex is blunt, depressed, and may be covered in white wool. The tubercles are large, conical, and obliquely truncated, with a deep longitudinal groove, and are arranged in clearly defined rows. The areoles develop 10–20 thick radial spines, which are whitish, yellowish, or horn-colored, horizontal, straight or slightly curved, and interlaced. Usually, there is also 1 dominant central spine, robust and up to about 2 cm long, straight or strongly curved downwards, occasionally accompanied by another 1–2 lateral central spines. This horn-shaped spine is the feature that gives the species its name.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to central Mexico, mainly Guanajuato, Querétaro, and Hidalgo, with populations in San Luis Potosí, Jalisco, and Zacatecas. It lives at approximately 1400 to 2200 m, in xerophilous scrublands and grasslands, occasionally in clearings of Quercus forests, with a marked preference for limestone terrain, either flat or gently sloping. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily, Cacteae tribe. The nomenclature follows Joël Lodé, Taxonomy of the Cactaceae (2026), volumes III–VI.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −9 ºC in dry, well-acclimated specimens. It must be kept completely dry during the winter.
☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense lighting and several hours of direct sun to maintain compact growth and develop robust spination. As a general guide, during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During spring and summer, it is recommended to water abundantly, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before the next watering. Starting in autumn, watering is progressively reduced until the plant is kept dry during the winter. A highly draining and aerated substrate is essential.
🌸 Flowering
The flowers are large, approximately 5–7 cm in diameter, bell-shaped or funnel-shaped, and usually satin yellow, although occasionally reddish forms exist. The filaments can exhibit a striking reddish hue. Flowering is concentrated between June and July and may extend until September. The filaments exhibit thigmotropism: upon contact, they can rapidly curl around the pollinator, facilitating pollen transfer.
🌿 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® 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, with the substrate activated by mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
* 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 these may also vary slightly, because, it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.
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