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

Melocactus oreas

Description: Usually stay solitary, mature plants are easily recognizable by their cephalium. The immature plant looks like a smallish barrel cactus, and there is nothing in its appearance that would suggest a Melocactus.
Stem: Globose to conical, up to 45 cm tall, 35 cm in diameter
Ribs: 10 to 13 ribs.
 

Propagation: Exclusively by Seeds. Sow in February-march in a light, sandy, porous soil. Cover germinating tray with glass to prevent seed from drying out. Germination is most successful at a temperature of 18 to 22° C.

Cultivation: These cacti are not the easiest things to grow and aren’t plants for beginners.
Melocactus broadwayi grows from April to October, it can’t endure long stretches of total dryness, and also too much water will rot it, as its weak root systems tends to be inefficient at sucking up water from wet soil. Nonetheless, again as a result of their tropical origins, they need a fair amount of water, but allow the soil to dry quite a bit before watering again. Melocactus rests from October to April but can’t stand cold, or even fairly cool temperatures, so is indispensable to keep it above 8-12°C at all times, severe damage or death occurring at temperatures that the great majority of cacti wouldn’t mind in the least and prefer more frequent water in winter than other cacti, say once a month. Do not feed in winter.
The root system is weak and generally resents being repotted and can take a long time to re-establish. The soil mix should be very quick draining, prefers very bright light, not as much as the most arid growing cacti, but plenty nonetheless.

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Scientific name:  Melocactus oreas Miq.

Origin:  Brazil (Bahia, Minas Gerais)

Synonyms:   

• Melocactus oreas subsp. oreas
• Cactus oreas
• Melocactus rubrisaetosus
• Melocactus oreas subsp. Rubrisaetosus
• Melocactus ernestii Vaupel
• Melocactus cremnophilus
• Melocactus rubrisaetosus

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Common Name: Turk’s cap,”  “melon cactus” (or simply “melon”)

 
Photo & © copyright by Süleyman Demir Turkey 
Home page: http://community.webshots.com/user/demir165
Melocactus oreas ssp. ores CG381.01

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Melocactus ernestii complex (This Taxon has lots of synonyms ( like many other cacti) whit several controversial varieties and subspecies and comprises a multitude of different forms, but where each form is linked to others by populations of plants with intermediate characteristics):

• Melocactus erythracanthus (= M. ernestii)
• Melocactus multiceps ( = M. ernestii)
• Melocactus oreas (= M. ernestii)

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