🌱 Morphology
It looks like a small cactus dressed in a silvery-grey silk armor, but its true surprise comes with flowering: suddenly, intense pink flowers, almost disproportionate to its tiny body, turn it into a small explosion of color. And among its delicate spines appears a distinctive feature: a curved central spine in the shape of a hook that looks like a tiny claw.

It forms cushioned groups that can bring together numerous heads, although compact and solitary forms also exist. The stems are globose or slightly conical, grey-green or blue-green in color, and can take on pinkish hues under intense lighting. The tubercles are large and rounded, arranged in a spiral. Each areole produces approximately 9–15 fine, whitish radial spines with a darker tip, in addition to 1–3 sturdier central spines, generally brown, one of which usually features the characteristic hook. The stems can reach about 5–6 cm in height and diameter.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
It is endemic to the Cape region in Baja California Sur, Mexico, including some nearby island areas. It grows in desert environments and dry scrublands. It belongs to the Cactaceae family. The species is listed as Endangered (EN) by the IUCN.

❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 9a
It tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −4 ºC if it remains completely dry, is well acclimated, and the exposure to cold is brief. It is especially advisable to avoid the combination of low temperatures and humidity.

☀️ Lighting
During active growth, it needs intense lighting, with a target of approximately 18–25 mol/m²/day of PAR DLI. Direct sunlight, introduced gradually, helps keep the stems compact and can intensify its attractive grey-blue and pink hues.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy.
During the active period, abundant watering is recommended, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. In winter, it should be kept practically dry, especially when temperatures are low.

🌸 Flowering
Its flowers are extraordinarily striking in relation to the size of the plant: intense pink to reddish-pink, funnel-shaped and about 2.5–4 cm in diameter. They appear at the top of the stem and can form a crown of color that practically eclipses the cactus itself. In Madrid, flowering can occur mainly between April and July. After them appear scarlet, almost dry fruits, which provide another ornamental appeal.

🌿 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 technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.

9x9 cm pot