Mammillaria dioica | Cochemia dioica. Fishhook cactus
€15,90
Mammillaria dioica K.Brandegee
🌱 Morphology
A cactus with a bluish-green body, initially globular and later cylindrical, solitary or branching from the base, which can reach about 30–33 cm in height and 5–7 cm in diameter. The tubercles are short and cylindrical; the axils have 4–15 small bristles. Each areole bears 11–22 white radial spines and usually 1–4 brown central ones, among which the lower one stands out, being longer and strongly hooked.
🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
It ranges from southern California to Baja California, Baja California Sur, and other areas of northwestern Mexico, from near sea level to about 1,500 m. It lives in deserts, dry scrublands, coastal chaparral, and stony slopes, where young plants can grow protected under nurse shrubs. It belongs to the Cactaceae family.
Taxonomic note: Kew currently recognizes Cochemiea dioica as the accepted name and Mammillaria dioica as a synonym; for the Desert CITY collection, Mammillaria dioica is maintained, in accordance with the taxonomic reference criteria of Joël Lodé.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −3 ºC in dry conditions and with well-acclimated specimens. It should be kept completely dry in winter; damp cold is much more dangerous than a brief frost on a dry plant.
☀️ Lighting
It requires plenty of light and direct sun, especially during active growth. Bright exposure promotes compact growth, spine development, and flowering. A DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended, with progressive acclimatization to intense sun.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. Keep dry during the winter. In spring and summer, water deeply and allow the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. Its desert and stony habitat requires rapid drainage, good ventilation, and an absence of waterlogging.
🌸 Flowering
It flowers in adult specimens from 4 years of age. Flowering occurs mainly in spring, with bell- or funnel-shaped flowers of 1–3 cm, white or cream, often with a characteristic pink or reddish central stripe. The fruits are scarlet red, and the seeds are black. An extraordinary peculiarity is its reproductive system: there are female flowers and bisexual flowers.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content 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 and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
9x9 cm black gourmet pot
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