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Ariocarpus agavoides
(Syn: Neogomesia agavoides)

Ariocarpus agavoides (SB 370 Tula, Tamahulipas mexico)
 It looks very little like a cactus and more like a Haworthia (or a small Agave, hence the name)
 

The flowers cover the plant.

Habit: Small rosette shaped succulent with stiff, rough, dark green tubercles.
Stem: Greenish-brown sub-globose, flattened on top, 2-6cm high, rising barely above ground level, 4-8cm in diameter.The rest of the plant (swollen rootstock) stay underground.
Tubercles: Divergent, often flaccid and not erect, not crowded or basally compressed, acute at the apices, flattened adaxially, not fissured, not incurved, 3-7cm long, 5-10mm broad, more than 4 times as long as wide;
Areoles: 5-12mm from the tips of the tubercles, rounded, 2-5 mm in diam.;
Spines: None or rarely 2, 2-4mm long, whitish.
Flowers: 3.5-4.2cm in diam., 2-5cm long; outer perianth segments magenta with greenish-white margins, inner perianth parts deep magenta, pistil 2-3mm above the stamens; style white. 1-2cm long; stigmas 5-8, 1-2.5mm long;
Fruit: pinkish-red to reddish purple, globose to elongate, 10-20mm long, 5-12mm in diam.
 

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Ariocarpus agavoides:.
 

• Ariocarpus agavoides
• Ariocarpus agavoides var. sanluisensis
• Ariocarpus agavoides forma mostruosa

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Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix I

Scientific name:
Ariocarpus agavoides (Castenada) Anderson, (1962) Amer. J. Bot. 49: 615
Occasionally misspelled agavioides.

Original pubblication:
Neogomesia agavoides Castaneda, (1941) Cact. Succ. Jour. 13: 98

Heterotypic synonyms:
Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus ssp. agavoides

Origin: Mexico, The type locality  of A. agavoides is sited around the town of Tula, Tamaulipas. Two new colonies have been found recently in San Luis Potosi, disjunct from the original site (A. agavoides var. sanluisensis).

Habitat: Grows on rocky limestone hills, and alluvial plains at about 1200 m, rainy season is summer. The wild populations have been threatened and nearly extinct by many factors including over-collecting, agriculture, building work, livestock, and erosion.

A Hypocotyl-graft  ( a sophisticated  grafting technique that guarantee a fast growth, long-livedness and an easy cultivation, in addition hypocotyl-grafted plants develop an attractive swollen caudex-like rootstock)
 

Cultivation: Grows in alluvial plain that becomes muddy in summer, so likes quite a lot of water then... but very prone to rot other times of the year, give moderate water in spring and autumn, no water in winter. Cultivate it  in a well drained, non-organic, free-draining soil compost. The use of a weak low-nitrogen fertilizer during the growing season can encourage growth. The main threat to its development is root rot.
The Ariocarpus should be kept dry whenever there is a threat of cold. The appearance of Ariocarpus can benefit greatly by watering the plants from the bottom. This practice will help to keep the “wool” on the top of the plant from becoming matted or discoloured. Need half shadel to Full sunf. Frost Tolerance: Hardy to -10° C.

Propagation: It is easy to raise from seed, but will generally take about 5-8 years to reach flowering size, occasionally grafted.

All the information and photos in cactus art file are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.