€37,10

🌱 Morphology
 With horns... Generally a solitary cactus, although it may form clusters with age; its body is globose to cylindrical, matte olive green, 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, arranged in well-defined rows. The areoles develop 10–20 thick radial spines, which are whitish, yellowish, or horn-colored, horizontal, straight or slightly curved, and interwoven. Usually, 1 dominant central spine also appears, robust and up to 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, flat, or gently sloping terrain. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily, Cacteae tribe. 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 winter.

☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense lighting and several hours of direct sun to maintain compact growth and develop robust spination. As a general guideline during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During spring and summer, it is recommended to water abundantly, letting the substrate dry out completely before the next watering. From autumn onwards, watering should be gradually reduced until the plant is kept dry during the winter. A highly draining and airy 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 may have a striking reddish hue. Flowering is concentrated between June and July and may extend until September. The filaments exhibit thigmotropism: upon contact, they can quickly curl around the pollinator, facilitating pollen transfer.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with high levels 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 with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent 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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