Gender: Matucana
Family: Cactaceae
Habitat: South America
Cultivation: Cultivate in a poor but well drained soil, no different from what is used to cultivate other cacti. Be careful not to exaggerate with watering.
Curiosity: It takes its name from the city of Matucana, Peru, in the area where they developed and then spread throughout South America.

MATUCANA KEY FEATURES

The Matucana genus groups succulent plants originating in Peru – precisely in the province of Huarochirí – but spread throughout South America. In its natural environment it generally grows among the rocks. This type of globular and small size cactacea is characterized by tubular segmented ribs, with long and thick spines.

Matucana is not a very flowering plant. In the case of them, the flowers appear at the apex and have a long and tubular shape with scarlet corolla that open to trumpet. They have very lively colors, ranging from yellow to red.

VARIETIES AND TYPES

There are many species of Matucana that live on the American continent but they are rare in the market. Among the cultivated species, however, the best known are the ones listed below.

• Matucana aureiflora
• M. calliantha
• M. comacephala
• M. crinifera
• M. haynei
• M. madisoniorum
• M. madisoniorum v. albiflora
• M. oreodoxa
• M. paucicostata
• M. polzii
• M. ritteri
• M. roseoalba
• M. tuberculosa

TIPS FOR CULTIVATION

Here are our cultivation tips for the Matucana:

• EXPOSURE: place the plant in full sunlight, taking care to avoid the noon peak.
• TEMPERATURE: During winter, make sure that the temperature never drops below 7 ° C.
• WATERING: Water only during the vegetative period, when the substrate is completely dry. Suspend watering during the winter.
• SOIL: Cultivate in well-drained soil, made of fertilized land and lots of sand.
• CONCIMATION: Use a standard fertilizer for cactaceae and proceed with fertilization every 15 days, only during the vegetative period.
• REPOT: Due to the small size they almost never need to be repotted.
• REPRODUCTION: It reproduces by seed, which must be placed in a wet bed of fine earth and sand at a temperature of about 20 °. The seedlings will be ready to be repotted when they begin to emit thorns at the apex.