Synonyms:

• Cactus placentiformis
• Echinocactus placentiformis
• Discocactus alteolens
• Discocactus besleri
• Discocactus crystallophilus
• Discocactus insignis
• Discocactus multicolorispinus

Habitat:

-It is native of North of Diamantina (in Minas Gerais) and other regions of Brasil.

Description:

-Discocactus placentiformis is a small flat globular cactus; the stem is low (less than 10 cm tall), light or dark green, with 10-16 rib. The cephalium has white wool and black bristles. The radial spines are slightly recurved backwards to the plant, while the lateral spines longer and pointing downwards. In some plants a central spine can appear. D. placentiformis blooms in summer: the nocturnal flower last only a night!

Cultivation:

-D. placentiformis is an easy plant to grow only under glass: it likes mild temperatures and it can’t stand the cold (it should be kept at above 15° C if grown on its own roots). As many Discocactus, it rot easly: too much water with cool will rot them but avoid long dry periods, too. Use very porous standard cactus mix soil, repot only if necessaire and feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer. It tolerates direct sun when grown indoor, but prefers half shades when grown outside.

Propagation:

-Propagation is done by seeds or grafting.