Description: Solitary, fiercely spined cacti
with abundant white wool on top and long white
hairs under the flowers .
Stem: Globose up to 8 cm diameter and tall ( in cultivation it is
subglobose to elongate and may slowly reach an height of 20 or more cm)
Stem:, up to 15 cm in diameter. Dark
green, tan to grey-purple tinged stem.
Root: Conical taproot.
Ribs: Adult specimens have up13 notched
ribs, forming tubercles with sunken areoles.
Spines: Juvenile specimens have only few
spines, but the
numbers increase as
they get older, and
areoles can have over 20 spines on mature specimens. Dark brown to black,
soon becoming chalky-white or greyish, up to
30 mm long.
Flowers: Reddish, pinkish or yellowish from apical areoles,
campanulate or funnel-shaped,
about 3 cm in diameter.
Floral tube with abundant white wool and bristles.
There might be over 50 flowers on a mature specimen (only mature
specimens bloom).
Fruit: Reddish, elongate, opening by a basal pore.
Cultivation: It is a summer-growing
species. It's easy to cultivate, but somewhat
rot prone if kept in a non
ventilated place. It requires a very
fast-draining, drying soil. Water regularly
in summer, but do not over-water.
It needs a
full sun exposure (or
light shade).
Good heat tolerance.
Hardy to at least -5°C.
Propagation: Usually propagated from Seeds. (seldom produces
offsets).
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