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.

Thelocactus lloydii SB113 Salinas, SLP, Mexico
This species has  thick grey stems with fat flat tubercles which have
polygonal bases to fit together without chins.
 

Description: Solitary and strongly armed cactus.
Stem: Depressed-globose, 8 to 12 cm broad, grey to bluish-green, covered by a glaucous/grey pruina.
Tubercles: Thick but low, often wider than long, sometimes 4 cm. wide; flowering groove rather conspicuous but narrow, extending from spines to about half-way to axil of tubercle;
Spines: It has 1-3 reddish-white-brown central spines with sharp yellowish-crimson tips, the longer ones up to 6 cm, and 6-8 reddish-white brown radial spines per areole. Ascending from and curved outward from middle, terete and somewhat angled at base. The spines are often highly coloured and maintain that bright tint on at least part of the spines for a long time but bleach out to a pale grey-brown as they became older.
Flowers: Light pink to almost white with a darker midline, never deep purplish pink. Filaments whitish, anthers honey/yellow, style yellowish, (eventually pinkish at top), stigma lobes pinkish/yellowish.
 

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Spines are creamy-white to greysh-pink

but wet spines are are bright red.

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Scientific name:  Thelocactus lloydii  Britton & Rose
In:  Cact. 4: 11 (1923)

• Thelocactus hexaedrophorus ssp. Lloydii (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor 1998
• Thelocactus hexaedrophorus var. lloydii

Conservation status: Listed in CITES Appendix II

 

Cultivation: It is a summer growing species, easy to cultivate. Water regularly from Spring to Autumn, but do not overwater. It can become too elongated if the compost is too rich. Requires full sun or light shade and careful watering to keep plant compact with strong coloured spines. It needs good drainage and a very porous potting mix.  In Winter, keep dry.

Reproduction: From seed, since the plant rarely produces plantlets.

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Thelocactus hexaedrophorus complex:

• Thelocactus hexaedrophorus
• Thelocactus lloydii (T. hexaedrophorus var. lloydii)
• Thelocactus fossulatus "Japan selection" (T. hexaedrophorus var. fossulatus)

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.