€21,20

Oroya peruviana var. depressa ‘Andahuaylas’

🌱 Morphology
Geographic form of Oroya peruviana characterized by its globose-flattened habit, dark green body, and particularly attractive pectinate spines. It can reach approximately 10–20 cm in diameter, with numerous obtuse and softly tuberculate ribs. The areoles are narrow and elongated, sunken between the ribs, and produce numerous fine radial spines, curved and arranged like a small comb, generally in yellowish, golden, reddish, or brownish tones. Plants from the Andahuaylas region can exhibit a particularly compact silhouette.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It originates from Apurímac, Peru, in the surroundings of Andahuaylas, where Oroya peruviana is found at approximately 3,000 to 3,800 m altitude. It grows on very rocky and dry high Andean mountain terrain, subject to a wide thermal range. There are collection records for O. peruviana east of Andahuaylas and of material historically referred to as O. peruviana var. depressa in the same area. It belongs to the Cactaceae family.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −8 ºC when dry and with well-acclimatized specimens. In cultivation, it is especially important to avoid having low temperatures coincide with a damp substrate.

☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense light and several hours of direct sun to maintain its compact habit and develop dense spines. During active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended as a reference.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During the cold period, it must be kept dry. In spring and summer, it is recommended to water deeply and infrequently, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. Its high Andean origin allows it to withstand prolonged dry periods, but the roots do not tolerate sustained excess moisture.

🌸 Flowering
It flowers for the first time at around 4-6 years of age. The flowers appear in a characteristic crown around the apex. They measure about 2.5 cm and have scarlet-red to carmine outer tepals, while the inner ones are pink, with yellow or orange tones toward the base. Flowering occurs mainly in early summer.

🌿 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.

9x9 cm black pot

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