Matucana polzii Diers, Donald & Zecher 

🌱 Morphology
 Small cactus with a globose to flattened body, bright green, which develops numerous offsets from the base and forms over the years large compact cushions of numerous heads. Each head reaches approximately 4–5 cm in height and 8–10 cm in diameter. It has 9–16 low, rounded ribs, marked by transverse grooves. The oval, slightly woolly areoles produce very short, fine spines arranged in a comb-like fashion: generally 6–12 whitish or yellowish radial spines and 1–3 central spines, which may darken at the tip and reach about 2–3 cm.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
Species endemic to Peru, located in the headwaters of the Marañón River, in the department of Huánuco, at approximately 2,100 to 2,300 m above sea level. It grows on dry, rocky Andean slopes subject to marked seasonality. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, genus Matucana. Its small size and extraordinary ability to produce offsets mean that a single specimen can end up forming a veritable carpet of heads.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9b
Tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −4 ºC when dry and with well-acclimatized specimens. Coming from mountainous environments, it can withstand occasional low temperatures, but must be kept completely dry during cold spells.

☀️ Lighting
Needs very intense light and several hours of direct sun to keep the heads compact, maintain well-formed spines, and promote flowering. As a reference during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended, with gradual acclimatization if coming from protected cultivation.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During winter, it is kept practically dry. In spring, as temperatures rise, deep and infrequent watering is resumed, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. During active growth, excess moisture should be avoided, especially in the center of dense colonies.

🌸 Flowering
Flowers appear near the apex of mature heads and are large in proportion to the size of the plant, funnel-shaped and slightly curved. They have a spectacular carmine red to orange-red coloration, with a slightly lighter center, and can reach approximately 5–7 cm in length and 3.5–5 cm in diameter. Flowering occurs mainly when at least one head has reached sufficient development; very clumped plants may invest much of their energy in producing offsets at the expense of flowers. The fruits are oval and purplish-brown.

🌿 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 cultivated in Madrid in a technological square pot with a substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

📏 The size of our basic collection of xerophytes is as follows:

S -> 9cm x 9cm

* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent may vary slightly from the product image. The photo description specifies the plant's measurements, but these may also vary slightly because it is a living thing! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.