Diaguita Tenebrica | The Dark One of Atacama
€10,60
🌱 Morphology
Small geophytic cactus, generally solitary, very slow-growing with a flattened, brownish-grey, dark brown, or blackish-green body that barely protrudes from the ground and may be partially covered by sand and dust. Mature heads reach about 4–7 cm in diameter. It possesses a long taproot, essential for storing water in its arid habitat. The ribs are deeply transformed into angular tubercles, up to about 12, with sunken areoles covered in grey felt. It presents up to 7 fine, short, black radial spines, 1–3 mm long, generally without a central spine or with an exceptional one. To differentiate it from Diaguita riparia, note that it has more angular tubercles than the latter, which has rounded ones.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is endemic to Chile and occupies a very restricted distribution from west of Domeyko, in the Atacama Region, to the Choros River valley in northern Coquimbo. It grows approximately between 300 and 750 m, on rocky soils with excellent drainage, in ravines, slopes, and desert plains near the influence of the camanchaca fog. The dark-colored body blends into the terrain and remains practically at ground level.
Family Cactaceae · Subfamily Cactoideae · Tribe Notocacteae · Genus Diaguita · Species Diaguita tenebrica (F.Ritter) Lodé.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −4 ºC, for short periods and with the substrate completely dry. Although it comes from a coastal desert, its main limitation in cultivation is not so much dry cold as the combination of low temperatures and humidity, especially due to its taproot and high sensitivity to rot.
☀️ Lighting
A very bright exposure is recommended, preferably in full sun, with excellent ventilation. It tolerates slight shade, but intense lighting promotes compact growth and proper flowering. An approximate availability of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ of DLI PAR is recommended.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During active growth, it is recommended to provide water in a very controlled manner, allowing the substrate to dry out completely between waterings. Watering should be reduced progressively at the end of the cycle and suspended during the winter. Its long taproot and extreme sensitivity to rot make a very mineral, aerated, and fast-draining substrate essential.
🌸 Flowering
A true surprise for such a small cactus: the flowers reach 4–5.5 cm in length and up to 5.5 cm in diameter, opening during the day and closing at night. They are infundibuliform, with shades ranging from yellow to yellowish-brown and reddish, and feature a floral tube covered in wool and dark bristles. Flowering is associated with rainfall and favorable conditions in spring. A sufficiently reliable age of first flowering has not been established to record it.
🌿 Nutrition
During active growth, it is recommended to use Desert CHOICE® Cactaceae NPK (Ca-Mg) 4-4-7 (4-4) once a month along with watering. Assimilable calcium promotes the formation of firm tissues and the maintenance of turgidity, while magnesium participates in chlorophyll synthesis. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering.
🪴 Pot
9x9 cm gourmet black pot
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot, with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
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