€21,20

🌱 Morphology
An Opuntia that appears to change color with the seasons. Its flattened, oval to obovate cladodes emerge from one another to form a shrubby bush and can shift from bluish-green to violet, purple, or reddish when sun exposure increases, drought occurs, or temperatures drop. The areoles are distributed regularly across the surface and feature glochids and, occasionally, relatively short spines. Over time, it can develop a considerable shrubby habit, although it can be kept much more compact in cultivation.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It belongs to the Cactaceae family. Its natural range extends from southern Arizona to northwestern Mexico, especially in Sonora, where it is part of desert and dry scrub communities. It lives in warm and arid environments on well-drained soils. 

❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 8b–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −9.4 ºC (15 ºF) when completely dry and well-acclimated. Cold resistance increases when the plant has reduced its water content before winter. The combination of low temperatures and prolonged root moisture should be especially avoided.

☀️ Lighting
It needs full sun to maintain a compact structure and, especially, to develop the spectacular purple hues that characterize this plant. During active growth, a target of 18–25 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR is recommended. The higher the light intensity and the more marked the thermal difference between day and night, the more likely the appearance of intense pigmentation.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. Growth is concentrated mainly during spring and summer, when temperatures are favorable. During the active period, heavy watering is recommended, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. From autumn onwards, watering should be progressively spaced out, and it should be kept practically dry during the winter. The dehydration of the cladodes during the cold period is a normal adaptation and also contributes to improving its resistance to low temperatures.

🌸 Flowering
The flowers appear mainly during spring and early summer and are bright yellow, standing out intensely against the bluish or purple cladodes. In Madrid, they can be expected mainly between May and June, provided the plant has received sufficient sunlight and has reached maturity. Fleshy fruits develop after flowering.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with high levels of potassium and bioavailable calcium, 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 high-tech square pot, with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

9x9 cm gourmet black pot

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