Melocactus matanzanus | Matanzas Turk's cap cactus
€21,20
Melocactus matanzanus León · Turk's Cap Cactus of Matanzas
🌱 Morphology
The smallest of all Melocactus. The fruits look like birthday candles. It is a solitary cactus, with a globose to slightly depressed body, bright green, about 7–10 cm tall and 8–12 cm in diameter. It has 8–9 well-defined ribs, with relatively close areoles. The spines are white, grayish, or slightly yellowish; it normally develops 1–2 short central spines, up to about 2 cm, and 7–8 radial spines of approximately 1–2 cm. Upon reaching maturity, it forms a characteristic apical cephalium, up to about 5–6 cm high and 6–9 cm in diameter, densely covered with white wool and reddish-brown to dark red bristles.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to Cuba, with populations in the provinces of Havana, Matanzas, and Villa Clara. It grows in thorny xeromorphic scrubland on serpentine outcrops, generally in low, warm areas that are highly exposed to the sun, at an altitude of approximately 50 to 110 m. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily, Cereeae tribe. Melocactus actinacanthus and M. matanzanus subsp. actinacanthus are synonyms.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 10b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of down to 4 ºC for short periods and with the substrate completely dry. For safe cultivation, it is recommended to avoid temperatures below 8–10 ºC, especially when there is environmental or substrate humidity.
☀️ Lighting
It needs very intense lighting and several hours of direct sun, with progressive acclimatization. High radiation favors a compact habit and the formation of a well-developed cephalium. As a guideline during active growth, a PAR DLI of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During the cooler months, watering is greatly reduced, keeping the substrate practically dry when temperatures are low. During active growth, it is recommended to water abundantly and infrequently, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before the next watering. The combination of cold and humidity, which is very harmful to the roots, should be especially avoided.
🌸 Flowering
The small flowers appear directly on the cephalium and are pink to carmine in color, approximately 2 cm long. The fruits are fleshy, with pink to rosy lilac shades, and protrude from the cephalium forming small cylinders of intense color.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with 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 and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
📏 The sizes of our basic collection xerophytes are as follows:
S -> 9cm x 9cm
M-> 14cm x 14 cm
L->16cm x 16 cm
* 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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