Parodia ayopayana var. comosa

🌱 Morphology
  A Bolivian... A solitary cactus, although it can form small clusters, with a globose to depressed body, green in color, which can reach about 12 cm in height and about 8 cm in diameter. The form historically called comosa stands out for its relatively flattened body and finer spination than that observed in other populations attributed to the same complex. The areoles are woolly and produce approximately 8–10 radial spines per areole, generally accompanied by 1–2 central spines. With age, the spines can lighten considerably.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
Native to Bolivia, mainly from the valleys and rocky gorges of the La Paz and Cochabamba departments. The material historically referred to as comosa was collected in the La Paz River gorge, in the border zone between the Loayza and Sud Yungas provinces, in dry and stony mountainous environments. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, subfamily Cactoideae, tribe Notocacteae.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9b
Tolerates minimum temperatures of down to −4 ºC when kept dry and properly acclimatized. During winter, it must be kept completely dry.

☀️ Lighting
Needs very intense lighting and several hours of direct sun, with progressive adaptation. As a guideline during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During spring and summer, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry out completely before the next watering. In winter, it should be kept practically dry and with good ventilation.

🌸 Flowering
Produces flowers in shades of yellow to orange, which appear clustered around the apical area. In the P. ayopayana complex, the flowers are relatively small for the genus and may open less fully, forming a striking floral crown.

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

📏 The sizes of our basic collection xerophytes are as follows:

S -> 9cm x 9cm

* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the sent specimen may vary slightly from the product image. The plant's measurements are specified in the photo description, but these may also vary slightly because it is a living being! Each of the Desert CITY plants has unique characteristics.