€10,60

🌱 Morphology
   Frost-proof. It looks like a small mountain of cactus segments piled on top of one another. It forms low, compact cushions, up to about 30 cm tall, made up of numerous fleshy segments that branch out from the base. The segments are ovoid to oblong, dark to light green in color, with a markedly tuberculate surface.

The areoles are distributed across the segments and are equipped with abundant glochids, bristles, and spines. The spines can reach several centimeters and take on brownish, yellowish, and finally grayish tones. The root is deep and napiform, an especially effective adaptation for taking advantage of available water in an extremely dry high-mountain environment.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Family Cactaceae, subfamily Opuntioideae. It is endemic to southern Peru, with documented presence in Arequipa and Ayacucho. It grows in cushions in dry Andean environments, between approximately 3000 and 3500 m altitude, on terrain with little slope and soils that can be clayey and stony. At these heights, it withstands a wide range of temperatures between day and night.

Its nomenclatural history is especially interesting. It was originally described as Tephrocactus zehnderi by Rauh and Backeberg; later it was moved to Opuntia and then to Cumulopuntia. In 2024, Joël Lodé published the combination Sphaeropuntia zehnderi, a name used here following the Desert CITY nomenclature. 

❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 8a–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of down to −12 ºC in dry conditions and with the substrate completely drained. Its origin at over 3000 m altitude indicates a significant adaptation to very cold nights, although cold accompanied by persistent humidity poses a much greater risk.

☀️ Lighting
Full sun and maximum luminosity. During active growth, a target of 18–25 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR is recommended. Intense lighting keeps the segments compact and favors good formation of spines and tubercles.

💧 Growth cycle and irrigation
Winter dormancy. During the active growth period, it is recommended to water abundantly and let the substrate dry out completely before watering again. In winter, it should be kept practically dry, especially when temperatures are low. In its natural habitat, rainfall is scarce and seasonal, while the plant effectively takes advantage of favorable moisture episodes.

🌸 Flowering
The flowers appear on the upper part of the segments and are large in relation to the plant's small size, reaching approximately 5–8 cm in diameter. They are yellow and diurnal. In its area of origin, it blooms during the dry season, mainly in December; in Madrid, this may shift toward the end of spring or summer depending on temperatures and the cultivation regime. Its flowers are visited by Hymenoptera.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer specific to cacti with high levels of potassium and bio-assimilable calcium, 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 high-tech square pot with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

9x9 cm gourmet black pot

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

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