€10,60

🌱 Morphology
Cactus with cylindrical stems, solitary when young and generally caespitose with age, forming clusters or large clumps that can reach up to 1.5 m in diameter. The stems measure approximately 5–30 cm in height and 2.5–15 cm in diameter, becoming decumbent with age. It generally presents 5–12 low, slightly tuberculate ribs. The areoles are provided with straight, relatively long spines, difficult to differentiate between central and radial, usually in numbers of 8–12 per areole. Spination can vary notably between populations.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
It is mainly distributed throughout Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, also reaching northern Mexico, especially Chihuahua and Sonora. It grows on mesas, slopes, rocky ridges, canyons, and clearings in pine and oak forests, frequently in rock crevices and stony or gravelly terrain. Its altitudinal distribution is very wide, approximately from 150 up to 2,400 m. It belongs to the Cactaceae family.

❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 5a–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −29 ºC in dry and properly acclimatized specimens. Its high cold resistance is related to its origin from populations subjected to very harsh continental winters. During extreme temperatures, it must remain completely dry.

☀️ Lighting
During active growth, it requires very high lighting, with an approximate target of 18–25 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR. It tolerates several hours of direct sun, and high light intensity favors compact growth, dense spination, and abundant flowering.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During winter, it should be kept cool, bright, and completely dry. In spring, active growth begins, and it can be watered abundantly, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before the next watering. During summer, it accepts regular watering if there is excellent drainage. Extreme cold resistance does not imply tolerance to moisture during dormancy.

🌸 Flowering
It produces large and very striking flowers, scarlet red to orange-red in color, cup or funnel-shaped, which appear laterally on the stems. The flowers are one of the most spectacular features of the species and can reach approximately 5–8 cm in diameter. In Madrid, they can mainly be expected between May and June. Mature fruits are juicy and red.

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

9x9 cm gourmet pot

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