€26,50

Gymnocalycium monvillei var. coloratum Neuhuber 

🌱 Morphology
Solitary cactus, relatively fast-growing for the genus, with a globose to flattened-globose body and a dark green epidermis. It can reach approximately 10–15 cm in diameter with age. It features broad, well-defined ribs, divided into tubercles by transverse grooves, with oval areoles. Its main attraction is its spination: yellowish, shiny spines with a reddish base, generally short and robust, extended and very close to the body; central spines are scarce or may be absent. In recently studied populations, this characteristic remains very uniform even in plants over ten years old.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It comes from the province of Córdoba, Argentina, with the type locality in Icho Cruz, at about 800 m altitude. Populations attributed to var. coloratum are also found in nearby sectors of the Sierras de Córdoba, growing in open, dry environments among xerophilous vegetation and rocky outcrops. The name was described by Gert Neuhuber in 1999 and continues to be used within the G. monvillei–horridispinum–achirasense–orientale complex.

Family Cactaceae · Subfamily Cactoideae · Tribe Cereeae

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8b
Tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −12 ºC for brief periods and with the substrate completely dry. Its Cordovan origin and adaptation to xerophilous environments allow for good resistance to dry cold.

☀️ Lighting
Bright semi-shade or soft direct sun is recommended. In Madrid, it is advisable to protect it from the most intense sun during the central hours of summer. A DLI PAR greater than 20 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ promotes compact growth and allows for the development of the characteristic yellow and reddish spination.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. It is a species that grows mainly in summer. During the active period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry completely before watering again. In autumn, water supply is progressively reduced until it is kept completely dry during winter.

🌸 Flowering
It produces large red flowers, characteristic of the monvillei group, which appear around the apex. In cultivation, it can begin to bloom at approximately 4–5 years of age and produce several blooms during the same season, mainly between June and September.

🌿 Nutrition
During active growth, Desert CHOICE® Cactáceas NPK (Ca-Mg) 4-4-7 (4-4) is recommended once a month along with irrigation. Assimilable calcium favors 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® Floración.

🪴 Pot
9x9 cm gourmet black pot

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot, with the substrate activated by mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

* 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, after all, it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.

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