€7,95

Matucana polzii Diers, Donald & Zecher

🌱 Morphology
A small cactus with a globose to flattened body, bright green in color, which develops numerous offsets from the base and, over the years, forms 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 furrows. The oval, slightly woolly areoles produce very short, thin, comb-like spines: generally 6–12 whitish or yellowish radial spines and 1–3 central spines, which can darken at the tip and reach about 2–3 cm.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
A species endemic to Peru, found at the headwaters of the Marañón River, in the department of Huánuco, at an altitude of approximately 2,100 to 2,300 m. It lives 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 true carpet of heads.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −4 ºC when kept dry and if the specimens are well acclimatized. As it originates from mountainous environments, it can withstand low temperatures occasionally, but it must be kept completely dry during cold spells.

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

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During winter, it is kept practically dry. In spring, with rising temperatures, deep, infrequent watering is resumed, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. During active growth, it is advisable to avoid excess humidity, especially in the center of dense colonies.

🌸 Flowering
The 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 present a spectacular carmine red to orange-red coloration, with a somewhat lighter center, and can reach approximately 5–7 cm in length and 3.5–5 cm in diameter. Flowering occurs mainly when a head has reached sufficient development; very caespitose 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 nitrogen levels, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactáceas, is recommended, applied once a month when watering. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Floración.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot 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 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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