Matucana ritteri | Otuzco Carmine cactus
€7,95
Matucana ritteri Buining
🌱 Morphology
A small globose-flattened cactus, generally solitary, although it can produce a few basal offsets. The body, dark green and shiny, reaches approximately 3–5 cm in height and 5–10 cm in diameter. It has 12–22 low, blunt ribs, clearly divided into tubercles, with small V-shaped grooves around the areoles. The spines are straight to slightly curved, dark brown to almost black in color, turning gray with age: generally 1–5 central spines of 2–4 cm and 7–14 radial spines of 1–3 cm. Its low, flattened habit, combined with large carmine flowers, makes it an especially attractive Matucana.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
A species endemic to Peru, known from the Otuzco region, La Libertad department, where it grows in dry mountainous environments between approximately 2,500 and 3,600 m in altitude. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Matucana genus. The epithet ritteri honors the renowned German explorer and cactus specialist Friedrich Ritter.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9b
Tolerates minimum temperatures of down to −4 ºC when kept dry and with well-acclimated specimens. Its high-altitude origin allows it to withstand low temperatures, but it must be kept completely dry during dormancy.
☀️ Lighting
Requires very intense light and several hours of direct sun to maintain its compact shape, promote robust spine development, and stimulate flowering. During active growth, it is recommended to reach a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹, performing a progressive acclimation to the sun.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During the cold months, it remains practically dry. In spring, when temperatures begin to rise, deep, infrequent watering is resumed, allowing the substrate to dry out completely in between. In autumn, watering is progressively reduced until it is suspended. Good drainage is essential to avoid damage to the roots during dormancy.
🌸 Flowering
It produces extraordinarily large flowers in relation to the small size of the body, approximately 7–9 cm in length and 4.5–5 cm in diameter. They are carmine to scarlet red, with a narrow, slightly curved, and oblique tube, appearing near the apex during the growing season. The contrast between the intensely colored flower and the dark green body is one of its most spectacular characteristics.
🌿 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 with substrate activated by mycorrhizal fungi.
📏 The sizes of our basic collection xerophytes are as follows:
S -> 9cm x 9cm
* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the shipped specimen may vary slightly from the product image. The plant dimensions are specified in the photo description, but these may also vary slightly because, after all, it is a living being! Each plant from Desert CITY has unique characteristics.
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