Eriocephala warasii | Serra Geral wall cactus
€7,95
Eriocephala warasii (F.Ritter) Lodé
🌱 Morphology
Another Brazilian blond... Cactus with an initially globose body that can elongate and become cylindrical with age, reaching over 40 cm in height. It can grow solitarily, although it frequently branches from the base to form clumps. The stem is dark green, with 15–16 ribs that are nearly triangular in cross-section. The areoles produce numerous fine, flexible, bristle-like spines, brownish-yellow to brown in color, 1–4 cm long, with no clear differentiation between central and radial spines. Its appearance becomes especially elegant when the spines form a fine golden envelope around the stem.
🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
Endemic to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where it lives between 800 and 1000 m altitude on basaltic rock walls and outcrops of the Serra Geral formation, often practically vertical and surrounded by humid subtropical forest. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily, Notocacteae tribe.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9b
Tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −4 ºC in dry conditions and with well-acclimated specimens. During winter, it is advisable to protect it from the combination of cold, persistent humidity, and poor ventilation.
☀️ Lighting
Requires very intense lighting and can be grown in full sun after progressive acclimation. As a guideline during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended. High light availability promotes compact growth and denser, more golden spination.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During the cold months, watering is progressively reduced and the substrate is kept practically dry. In spring and summer, watering is resumed abundantly, allowing the substrate to dry out completely between waterings. Although it comes from a humid subtropical environment, its roots need a very airy and well-draining medium.
🌸 Flowering
Produces large flowers, about 5–6 cm in diameter, golden yellow to lemon yellow in color, which appear around the apical zone during the summer. The floral tube and pericarp feature white wool and small bristles. The fruits are cylindrical, approximately 1.5 cm high, and open via a basal transverse slit.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low levels of nitrogen is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactaceae, 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.
9x9 cm pot
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