€53,00

Melocactus curvispinus Pfeiff. · Curved-spine Turk's cap

🌱 Morphology
  Solitary cactus, with a depressed-globose to short-cylindrical body, dark green to glaucous green, about 6–30 cm tall and 8–27 cm in diameter. It has 10–16 sharp ribs, sometimes slightly tuberculate, with sunken areoles. The spines are dirty white to almost black, and several appear clearly curved backwards; it may have 1–4 central spines 1.5–5.2 cm long and 6–11 radial spines 0.3–4.2 cm long. Upon maturity, it develops a relatively small apical cephalium, about 3–4 cm high and 7–11 cm in diameter, formed by white wool interspersed with abundant reddish or reddish-brown bristles.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Its natural range extends from southern Mexico through Central America to Colombia and Venezuela, including some Caribbean islands. The nominate subspecies is mainly found in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and western Venezuela. It inhabits arid and semi-arid regions, from nearly sea level up to about 1,500 m, growing among rocks, xerophilous scrub, and poor soils. It belongs to the family Cactaceae, subfamily Cactoideae, tribe Cereeae.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 10a
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC in dry conditions and when perfectly acclimatized, although for cultivation it is safer to keep it above 5 ºC. Damp cold should be avoided especially.

☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense lighting and several hours of direct sun to maintain a compact habit and correctly develop the cephalium. Exposure should be increased progressively for specimens grown under protection. As a guideline during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended.

💧 Growth cycle and irrigation
Winter rest. During the cool months, irrigation is considerably reduced, keeping the substrate practically dry if temperatures are low. During active growth, it is recommended to water abundantly but infrequently, allowing the substrate to dry out completely between waterings. Excess moisture, especially when combined with low temperatures, can quickly lead to root problems.

🌸 Flowering
The small flowers emerge directly from the cephalium and barely protrude from it. They are pink, violet-pink, to purple, approximately 1.8–4.3 cm long. The fruits, which emerge subsequently from the cephalium, are club-shaped and acquire pink, red, or intense magenta tones, creating an attractive contrast with the wool and the reddish bristles.

🌿 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 and biofungicides.

25 cm pot

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