€21,20

🌱 Morphology
  Generally solitary cactus, although it may occasionally produce a few offsets. The body is globose, ovoid, elongated, or slightly cylindrical, approximately 6–25 cm tall and 7–17 cm in diameter, yellowish-green, grayish-green, or pale green. The ribs are practically hidden and are replaced by large conical, rhomboidal, or triangular tubercles, arranged in a spiral and clearly pointing upwards. The tubercles can reach about 12–20 mm in length.

The areoles are small, woolly, and usually present a short groove. It develops 7–23 radial spines, generally white, grayish, or slightly brownish, and 1–4 more robust and longer central spines, up to 5 cm long, occasionally longer. The central spines can be straight or slightly curved and vary from ocher, reddish, or whitish tones to dark brown, turning gray with age.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
A species from northeastern Mexico, mainly in Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, and Tamaulipas. It inhabits xerophytic scrublands and limestone slopes and hills in the Central Plateau region, at an altitude of approximately 1,200 to 2,200 m. It grows in environments of the Chihuahuan Desert, where water availability is highly seasonal and mineral soils have high drainage.

It belongs to the Cactaceae family and is currently classified in the genus Thelocactus. Its historical synonyms include Echinocactus conothelos, Gymnocactus conothelos, and Torreycactus conothelos.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8b–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −9 ºC in dry, well-acclimated specimens protected from humidity. Its true resistance depends on the clone, acclimation, and, especially, on the body and substrate remaining completely dry during cold spells. Some horticultural references place the species around USDA 8b–9a.

☀️ Lighting
It needs very intense lighting and can be grown in full sun during active growth, provided the transition from protected conditions is done gradually. High radiation promotes compact growth, better tubercle expression, and more developed spination.

As a general guide during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. It must remain completely dry during the winter. In low temperatures, the combination of humidity and cold significantly increases the risk of root rot.

As temperatures rise in spring, the active growth period begins. During spring and summer, abundant watering is recommended, wetting the substrate completely and letting it dry out entirely before the next watering. In periods of extreme heat, it may temporarily reduce its activity, so it is advisable to space out waterings if the substrate takes a long time to dry. In late summer and throughout autumn, water supply is gradually decreased until it enters winter dormancy.

🌸 Flowering
It produces large flowers relative to the size of the body, approximately 4–6 cm in diameter, with a narrow and well-developed floral tube. The typical coloration is magenta or deep pink, although there are populations with white flowers as well as yellow, orange, or reddish forms within the taxonomic complex. The flowers appear in the apical area and can exceed 5 cm in length.

Within the Thelocactus conothelos group, subsp. conothelos is distinguished especially by its angular tubercles and normally magenta flowers, while other accepted subspecies present differences in floral color and spination characteristics.

🌿 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, with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

📏 Gourmet xerophyte in a 9x9 cm pot.

* 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 this may also vary slightly because, after all, it is a living being! Each of Desert CITY's plants has unique characteristics.

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