€10,60

🌱 Morphology
    Shrubby, highly branched Opuntia that can reach about 2–3 m in height and form specimens of large diameter. The cladodes are flattened, elongated, elliptical to spatulate, glossy dark green in color, with a continuous outline and, occasionally, a purple hue around the areoles. The areoles feature reddish or reddish-brown glochids. The spine development is highly variable: many specimens are practically unarmed, while others develop one, or rarely two, spines per areole, which are straight or slightly curved, and reddish, dark purple, or grayish in color as they age.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Native to northeastern Argentina, Uruguay, and the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, where it is part of the open environments of the Pampas region and the Río de la Plata area. It is also naturalized in different Mediterranean zones of Europe. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Opuntioideae subfamily, and Opuntieae tribe.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8b–11b
It can tolerate down to -7 ºC. It is a subtropical and warm-temperate climate Opuntia that tolerates moderate drops in temperature when completely dry and well-acclimatized. In cultivation, it is recommended to protect it especially from prolonged frosts combined with moisture in the substrate.

☀️ Lighting
It requires direct sunlight and high light intensity to develop compact cladodes, intense coloration, and good flowering. As a guideline, during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During the cold period, watering is reduced, and the substrate should be kept dry when temperatures are low. With rising temperatures and solar radiation, watering is gradually resumed, allowing the substrate to dry out completely between waterings. During active growth, it can receive abundant waterings as long as the drainage is excellent.

🌸 Flowering
It produces large flowers, approximately 6–10 cm in diameter, orange in color, with external tepals frequently tinged with red. A diagnostic feature is the green stigma. The flower buds have an acute apex. After flowering, it develops obconical to obovoid fruits that acquire a carmine color and contain a characteristic purple-vinaceous pulp.

🌿 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 technological square pot with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

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