Matucana paucicostata | Wine flower cactus
€15,90
Matucana paucicostata F.Ritter
🌱 Morphology
Globose to shortly cylindrical cactus, 7–14 cm tall and 4–7 cm in diameter, which may branch from the base with age. The body is grayish-green and develops a thick, short root. It has 7–11 low, blunt, and tuberculate ribs, with small, downy areoles. The spines are reddish-brown, curved, and flexible, turning grayish with age; it usually has 5–8 radials up to 3 cm long and may have a central spine, although this may be absent.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
A species endemic to Peru, distributed throughout the inter-Andean valleys of Áncash and La Libertad, in the Marañón basin and surrounding areas, at approximately 1,700 to 2,500 m in altitude. It lives in dry, very sunny environments, among rocks and xerophytic vegetation. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, genus Matucana. The specific epithet paucicostata refers precisely to its few ribs.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9b
Tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −4 ºC when kept dry and with well-acclimatized specimens. In winter, it is recommended to keep it protected from humidity and prolonged frosts.
☀️ Lighting
Needs plenty of light and several hours of direct sun to maintain compact growth and well-developed spination. During active growth, it is recommended to reach a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹, performing a progressive acclimatization when coming from shaded conditions.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During the cold months, it remains practically dry. In spring, watering resumes when temperatures are sufficiently high; during active growth, it is recommended to water deeply and allow the substrate to dry completely before watering again. In autumn, watering is gradually spaced out until dormancy is reached.
🌸 Flowering
One of its most attractive features is its large, zygomorphic, wine-red to intense pink flowers, which can reach approximately 6 cm in length and 3 cm in diameter. They are born in a subapical position and feature the characteristic elongated tube of the genus. The fruit is green, slightly hairy, and about 8–11 mm.
🌿 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 technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
📏 The sizes of our basic collection xerophytes are as follows:
S -> 9cm x 9cm
* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the sent specimen 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, it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.
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