Uebelmannia pectinifera | Quiabo-da-lapa. Pectinate-spined Uebelmannia
€26,50
🌱 Morphology
A miniature plant sculpture. Generally solitary, slow-growing cactus with a globose body that can become short-cylindrical with age. It can reach approximately 75–100 cm in height and up to 15 cm in diameter. The epidermis features a characteristic greenish-gray, brownish-green, or reddish surface, often covered by small whitish waxy scales that give it a rough, granular appearance.
It develops approximately 15–40 very prominent, narrow ribs with sharp edges. The areoles are small, very close together, and initially covered with grayish or brownish wool. The spines are short, straight, and numerous, and may be arranged in a pectinate fashion, meaning they are extended laterally like the teeth of a comb. In mature specimens, the combination of deep ribs, the scaly epidermis, and the pectinate spination creates a very characteristic appearance.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
A species endemic to Minas Gerais, in southeastern Brazil, where it grows in the *campos rupestres* of the Serra do Espinhaço, associated with rocky outcrops, crevices, and highly mineral soils. It is found at approximately 650 to 1,400 m of altitude, depending on the known populations. Its habitat features marked seasonality and high sun exposure.
It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily, and Cereeae tribe. Within this tribe, Uebelmannia constitutes an independent evolutionary lineage that is currently recognized as the Uebelmanniinae subtribe.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9a–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −4 ºC in dry, well-acclimated specimens protected from moisture. It comes from a seasonally tropical mountainous environment, but not from regions habitually subject to intense frosts. During the winter, it is especially important to keep both the body and the substrate completely dry.
☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense light and can be grown in full sun when properly acclimated. High radiation promotes compact growth, the formation of deep ribs, and the expression of the epidermis's waxy scales.
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. It must be kept completely dry during the winter. Low temperatures combined with prolonged humidity significantly increase the risk of root damage and rot.
With the rise in temperatures in spring, active growth begins. During spring and summer, abundant watering is recommended, wetting the substrate completely and allowing it to dry out entirely before the next watering. Drainage must be very fast, as in its natural habitat it grows among rocky materials and mineral soils.
In late summer and during autumn, water intake is progressively reduced until winter dormancy is reached.
🌸 Flowering
It produces relatively small flowers for the size of the cactus, approximately 2–3 cm in diameter, which appear near the apex. They are yellowish to greenish in tone, with perianth segments that open during the day.
After flowering, it develops minimally fleshy, reddish to vinaceous fruits, which retain remnants of the perianth at the tip.
🌿 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® Cactaceae, 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 high-tech square pot, with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
7x7 cm and 9x9 cm gourmet black pot
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