Rebutia flavistyla FR756 Below Cajas, Tarija, Bolivia
This is is a magnificent species that produces a sea of tiny, startling bright orange flowers.
It is one of the first Rebutias that a beginner will learn to recognize on sight.
 

Description:  Mound-forming plant with bristly white spines.
Stem:  3 cm wide, 4 cm tall, dark, flat, covered by distinctive tubercles similar to a Mammillaria, that are easy to see through the small spines. It grows quite close to the ground and offsets only with age. It would appear that in cultivation they grow larger and cluster more vigorously than in habitat.
Spines: White, fine and soft.
Flowers:  Startling bright orange, funnel-shaped,  4.5 cm. long, 4 cm diameter from the base of the stems.
Blooming season:  Flowers are produced profusely in spring, and remain open for up to six days.
Fruit: Tiny, berrylike, hidden among the spines, bursting when ripe.

Note: Nowadays, under the name of R. fiebrigii, botanists include several different forms, that were previously regarded as independent species, among them:

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Rebutia fiebrigii complex  (This Taxon has lots of synonyms (like most rebutias), with several controversial varieties and subspecies:

• Rebutia albipilosa (R. fiebrigii "albipilosa")
• Rebutia muscula (R. fiebrigii)
• Rebutia flavistila  (R. fiebrigii "flavistyla")

Scientific name:  Rebutia fiebrigii (Gurke) Br.& R. ex. Bailey
in L.H.Bailey & L.H.Bailey Stand. Cycl. Hort. 1916

Origin:  Mendez, Tarija, Bolivia

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Vernacular Names: Flame Crown

• Rebutia fiebrigii flavistyla
• Aylostera flavistyla

This is one of the easiest rebutia to grow.  Cuttings
of pups are easy to root, and it blooms like crazy if grown well.

Cultivation: This species is easy to cultivate in a very open mineral mix, (lots of pumice).   It requires full sun or light shade and careful watering to keep plant compact, and maintain strong and dense spines. Keep dry in winter.  Hardy to -4°C.  Give them an airy spot and ensure good drainage, with soil at least 50% sand or pumice grit.
It is better that they be repotted regularly.  Repotting will increase the number and size of stems, and will increase the number of flowers produced.  Repot yearly until they reach about 100 mm in size, then every two or three years will suffice.  Repotting is best done at the end of winter, but can be done at other times, too.  Do not water for a couple of weeks after repotting, to reduce risk of root rot via broken roots.  Keep dry in winter.  Hardy to -4°C for a short period. All, especially the young, are susceptible to red spider mites.

Propagation: Offsets, seeds