Synonyms:

No synonyms are recorded for this species name.

Habitat:

Ferocactus glaucescens cv. Split Rock f. crested is a nursery cultivar and thus doesn’t exist in nature. The regular species comes from Mexico.

Description:

Ferocactus glaucescens cv. Split Rock f. crested (a.k.a. f. monstruous naked) is a solitary, small cactus. It is considered a rarity among collectors, who seek it out for its stem, full of splits and cracks that make it look like a weathered rock. It is this characteristic that is the origin of the cultivar name “Split Rock.” The young plant is rather similar to F. glaucescens f. nudus, with spherical stems, glaucous grey, spineless and divided into wide ribs (11 to 15 in number). As the plant grows old, it soon starts to take on the aspect of a rock surface, because its epidermis begins to break and becomes rough and brownish. Usually, these cracks spread irregularly and cover parts of the plant stem, blurring the distinction between ribs and making the overall shape irregular. The cacti can reach a size of 50/60 centimeters in height and around 40/50 in diameter. The crested form is even more odd: instead of being sphaerical, the glaucous stem looses completely any reference to the ribs of the regular “Split Rock” and becomes narrowly elliptical and elongated in shape. Crested varieties are the result of a phenomenon called “Fasciation”. Fasciation is an abnormal growth condition of vascular plants where the apical meristem, or either cellular tissues of other vegetative and flowering buds, produces new cells in only two opposite directions, becoming elongated and flattened perpendicularly to the normal direction of cellular growth. It is rare to see it bloom, as the altered ability to perform cell division alters the production of flower buds. The rare flowers are funnel-shaped, bright yellow, 3-4 centimeters broad.

Cultivation:

Although crested forms are usually more difficult to grow and the cultivar is slow-growing, Ferocactus glaucescens cv. Split Rock f. crested is easy to grow once established. Here below are our tips:

Put it in a bright spot, exposed to sunlight all year round, with the exception of the hottest hours of Summer days.
Ferocactus glaucescens cv. Split Rock f. crested is quite frost-tolerant, if maintained completely dry in the Winter. It bears temperatures down to -5ºC! However, warm to hot temperatures throughout the year will keep it healthier: it is happy even at temperatures of 30ºC. We suggest to keep it at temperatures above 10ºC, to stay safe.
Water regularly during the summer (once a week), always waiting for the substrate to dry up completely before each irrigation. Don’t wet the stem while the plant is exposed to direct sunlight, otherwise some burnings may occur.
Choose a well-drained substrate. A specific compost for cacti will do good.
Fertilize once a year with a specific product for succulents, rich in Phosphorus and Potassium and poor in Nitrogen. Apply the product, diluted with water at half the doses recommended on the label, during the growth season (Spring or Summer).
It is not necessary to repot often: Ferocactus glaucescens cv. Split Rock f. crested is rather slow-growing. Do it, preferably, during the Spring. To repot every year is though advisable, to provide fresh soil. They won’t need larger pots in that case.

Propagation:

Propagation of Ferocactus glaucescens cv. Split Rock f. crested can be carried out by cuttings. In the case of the crested forms, the mutation can be only propagated agamically, through cuttings or grafting, because crested forms usually don’t produce flowerrs and, thus, seeds and, even if they did, the new seedling would not preserve the genetic mutation that makes it crested.

Curiosity:

The name “Ferocactus” comes from the Latin “ferox”, that is fierce, given by the presence of colorful, strong numerous and menacing thorns along the ribs of the stem. The species name “glaucescens”, instead, refers to the glaucous (light blue to turquoise) colour of the stem. The name of the cultivar, “Split rock”, instead refers to the typical cracks on the stem surface, that make it similar to a weathered rock.

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

Tips:
Read our advice