€21,20

🌱 Morphology
 All in red... Columnar cactus, usually solitary, slow-growing, which can reach 1–2 m in height and up to about 30 cm in diameter, although exceptional specimens may exceed these dimensions. The stem is dark green, with numerous obtuse ribs, generally 20–30 in young plants, which may increase considerably with age. The areoles develop 8–10 radial spines that are needle-like or awl-shaped, reddish, brownish, or whitish in color, and 1–5 rigid, longer central spines that can reach about 6 cm. Spination changes notably with age: young specimens have strong, striking spines, while long, whitish bristles may also appear in adult plants. In flowering areoles, spination can be especially abundant and developed.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to western and northwestern Argentina, from Salta and Tucumán, through Catamarca, La Rioja, and San Juan, to Mendoza. It inhabits dry, sunny, stony, and steep slopes of mountain environments and cardonal shrublands, approximately between 800 and 2800 m in altitude, enduring harsh winters. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily. It is the only representative of the Denmoza genus.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8b
Tolerates minimum temperatures down to −9 ºC in dry, well-acclimated specimens. Its origin in mountainous areas with harsh winters allows for considerable cold resistance, provided the substrate remains dry.

☀️ Lighting
Requires very intense light and direct sun to develop compact growth and abundant 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 dormancy. During spring and summer, it is recommended to water abundantly, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before the next watering. As temperatures drop in autumn, watering should be progressively reduced until the plant is kept dry throughout the winter. The combination of cold and humidity must be avoided.

🌸 Flowering
The flowers appear near the apex; they are tubular, red to magenta-red, up to about 7 cm in length, and with a relatively narrow opening. The tube is covered with small triangular scales whose axils feature tufts of silky hair. Numerous red stamens protrude from the corolla. This flowering is specialized for bird pollination, particularly hummingbirds, and occurs during the warm period. The fruits are globose, reddish, and about 3 cm in diameter.

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

12x12 cm gourmet black pot

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