Soehrensia bruchii (ex. Lobivia) | Red flare
€68,90
🌱 Morphology
A sure bet for a resilient and beautiful cactus in cold regions... Globose to depressed-globose cactus, generally solitary in young specimens, although with age it can produce offsets and form compact colonies. The body is dark green to grayish-green and can reach about 20–30 cm in diameter, exceptionally up to 50 cm. It presents between 15 and more than 50 low ribs, well-defined and often slightly bumpy between the areoles. The areoles, initially covered with white wool, produce yellowish, golden, or reddish-brown radial spines and several central spines, the length and color of which are highly variable.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Species from northwestern Argentina, mainly from Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, and Tucumán, with populations in mountain environments between approximately 1,700 and 3,500 m above sea level. It inhabits puna and prepuna grasslands, xerophytic scrublands, and rocky slopes, frequently among large rocks. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily, Trichocereeae tribe. The name used follows the classification of Joël Lodé in Taxonomie des Cactaceae, volumes III–VI, 2026. Echinopsis bruchii, Lobivia bruchii, and Trichocereus bruchii are combinations used historically.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 7b–11b
Tolerates minimum temperatures of down to −15 ºC in dry specimens, well-acclimatized and protected from winter humidity. Its high-mountain origin explains its notable resistance to cold, although in cultivation it is especially important to avoid the combination of low temperatures and damp substrate.
☀️ Lighting
It needs a very bright exposure, preferably in full sun. High light intensity favors compact body development and more intense spination. 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. Active growth is concentrated mainly during spring and summer. It is recommended to water abundantly during this period, allowing the substrate to dry out completely between waterings. In autumn, water intake is progressively reduced until it is kept dry during winter.
🌸 Flowering
Produces diurnal flowers of intense red color, although there are populations with notable chromatic variability, from orange to pink tones. They appear forming a crown near the apex and reach approximately 4–6 cm in length and diameter. Flowering usually occurs during spring and summer. After flowering, juicy, thin-skinned orange fruits may develop.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low levels of nitrogen is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactáceas, 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 technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
One of the species that even withstood the frosts of the Filomena storm and that you will be able to see in the Desert CITY garden!
* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the sent specimen may vary slightly from the product image. The measurements of the plant are specified in the photo description, but this may also vary slightly, because, it is a living being! Each of the Desert CITY plants has unique characteristics.
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