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Turbinicarpus lophophorioides mostruosus

CACTUS ART
NURSERY

Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents.

 


Turbinicarpus lophophoroides forma mostruosa
This plant is recognizable without problems for the tiny tangled body which is dark olive-green with brownish-purple tint. The spines are like small white stars.
 

Description: The standard T. lophophoroides is a well known solitary, globose cactus, but the monstrous mutant here described  is a completely different looking plan that forms small compact mound up to 10 cm in diameter. It looks like a strange marine creature than a cactus, similar to a dark coral with hundreds of white individual polyps, each polyp only a few millimetres in diameter.
Stems: It is formed by an intricate multitude of small tangled protrusion of soft, rubbery-textured bumps, only a few mm across. The stem is purplish-green, and in full sun take a very dark colouring (almost black)
Areoles: Very small not woolly.
Spines: About 8-10 radially spreading, white, very short (1-2 mm long) that remembering a small star or a white spider.
Flower:
Unknown.
 


Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of
Turbinicarpus lophophoroides:


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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific name:  Turbinicarpus lophophoroides (Werderm.) F. Buxb.& Backeberg 1937  forma mostruosa

Origin Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix I


 

 


 

Cultivation: It’s a fairly easy cultivar to cultivate plant adapted to a specific type of soil but, but very slow growing. A 10 -30% of natural gypsum could be added to a very well drained soil. Watering should be rather infrequent, but abundant, so that the soil becomes completely soaked. Furthermore it has a swollen juicy root system, and watering it properly is often difficult and rot if over-watered. Keep dry in winter, or when night temperatures remain below 10° C.  It is hardy to -4°C for a short period.  Assure a good ventilation. Exposures: Full sun where it obtains a natural-looking flat, or part sun. The fact that the plant retracts into the soil and assume a red-brown colouring between watering, is perfectly natural and doesn’t cause any damage.

Reproduction: Grafting or cuttings.

 

 

Photo gallery: Alphabetical listing of Cactus and Succulent pictures published in this site.

Home | E-mail | Plant files | Mail Sale Catalogue | Links | Information | Search

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.