€21,20

Melocactus maxonii f. ‘Inermis’ 

🌱 Morphology
An extraordinarily striking horticultural form of Melocactus maxonii, characterized by the absence or extreme reduction of spines. The body retains the globose to slightly depressed habit of the species, with a green epidermis and 10–14 distinct ribs. The areoles remain visible but produce few to no functional spines. Upon reaching maturity, it develops the characteristic apical cephalium, which is cylindrical and relatively short, formed by abundant white wool interspersed with prominent reddish bristles. The absence of spines gives this selection an extraordinarily clean and geometric appearance.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
This does not correspond to an independent natural population, but rather a form selected in cultivation from a Central American taxon. The reference species is distributed from southern Mexico through Central America to Venezuela and the Caribbean, in warm, dry, or seasonally dry environments with highly draining substrates. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, subfamily Cactoideae, tribe Cereeae.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 10a
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC only under very dry conditions and for short periods. For cultivation, it is recommended to keep it above 5–10 ºC, especially during winter, completely avoiding cold humidity.

☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense lighting to maintain its compact shape and encourage cephalium formation. It must be progressively acclimated to direct sunlight. 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 cold period, watering should be notably reduced, keeping the substrate practically dry. During active growth, water abundantly, always after the substrate has dried out completely. The absence of spines does not alter the water requirements of the species.

🌸 Flowering
The small, pink to magenta flowers appear directly on the cephalium. They later produce small, fleshy pink or reddish fruits that protrude from the wool, creating an attractive contrast with the light-colored cephalium.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with high levels of assimilable calcium and low nitrogen, 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 technological square pot, with substrate activated by mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

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