Pilosocereus gounellei | Xique-xique. Cactus of the sertão
€7,95
Pilosocereus gounellei (F.A.C.Weber ex K.Schum.) Byles & G.D.Rowley
🌱 Morphology
Highly branched shrubby cactus from the base, initially erect in growth with branches that can become decumbent, forming large, candelabra-like clumps. It can reach approximately 3–4 m in height. The stems, olive green to glaucous, measure about 6–10 cm in diameter and have 8–13 sinuous ribs. The areoles produce 1–5 rigid, acicular central spines, up to several centimeters long, accompanied by 12–15 shorter, grayish, golden, or reddish radial spines. The flower buds are protected by abundant silky trichomes.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Species endemic to Brazil, distributed mainly throughout the Northeast, from Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, and Maranhão to Sergipe, and associated with the Caatinga, although it also appears in Cerrado formations, savannas, fields, and rocky outcrops. It grows from areas near sea level up to about 1,200 m, generally on dry, stony, and well-drained terrain. It belongs to the Cactaceae family. The Brazilian common name xique-xique is particularly characteristic of this species.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 10a
Tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC when kept dry and with well-acclimated specimens. In cultivation, it is advisable to protect it from prolonged frosts and keep the substrate completely dry during cold spells.
☀️ Lighting
Requires direct sun and very intense light to maintain compact growth and develop abundant spines. During active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended as a reference.
💧 Growth cycle and irrigation
Winter dormancy. During the cold period, it is kept practically dry. In spring and summer, deep, spaced watering is recommended, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. It tolerates drought well but requires rapid drainage and good root aeration.
🌸 Flowering
The flowers are white to greenish-white, large and tubular-infundibuliform, about 4–9 cm long, and appear sessile on the areoles. They open at night and are protected by numerous silky hairs; they are visited by bats. The fruits, globose, reach about 4–6 cm and turn purplish when ripe, with a magenta or purple mucilaginous pulp and numerous black seeds.
🌿 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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