Neoporteria
Family: Cactaceae
Habitat: Mountainous areas of Peru, Argentina and Chile
Cultivation: The plant prefers the indirect sun to the direct sun and a poor and tendentially sandy soil. Be careful to avoid moisture, especially in winter.
Curiosity: Its name comes from Carlos E. Porter, a Chilean entomologist. It is not considered an autonomous genus: it was first considered to be part of the Echinocactus, and is now included in the Eriosyce genus.
NEOPORTERIA KEY FEATURES
The Neoporteria are small spherical cacti that grow at high altitudes along the Andes chain. More than a genre on its own, it should be considered a subset of the Eriosyce. The shape of the stem can become cylindrical with age, as the plant grows; sometimes it has vertical ribs, more often tubercles similar to those of Mammillaria. The flowers are large, daisy shaped and of various colors that can go from pink to light red. They grow on the top of the plant.
Variety and Types
Although it is diffucult to make a classification for the above mentioned reasons, this is a list of Neoporteria’s species.
- Neoporterial atrispinosa
- N. calderana
- N. castanea
- N. clavata
- N. coimasensis
- N. crispa
- N. curvispina
- N. curvispina f. robusta
- N. echinus
- N. eriocephala
- N. eriocephala v. glaucescens
- N. gerocephala
- N. intermedia
- N. islayensis
- N. litoralis
- N. microsperma
- N. multicolor
- N. napina
- N. napina v. duripulpa
- N. neohankeana
- N. nidus
- N. nidus v. maitencillo
- N. nidus v. multicolor
- N. nigricans
- N. nigrihorrida
- N. occulta
- N. paucicostata
- N. paucicostata v. viridis
- N. recondita v. vexata
- N. senilis
- N. sociabilis
- N. subgibbosa
- N. taltalensis
- N. transitensis
- N. villosa
- N. wagenknechtii v. multiflora
Tips for growing:
Neoporterias are adaptable and easy to grow.
Here are our tips:
- EXPOSURE: Avoid direct sunlight and prefer bright, but filtered sunshine, either in greenhouses and outdoors.
- TEMPERATURE: Keep the plant above 6-8 ° C. In winter, repair it appropriately or shelter it inside. Be careful to protect the plant from moisture.
- WATERING: Each watering should be abundant but not frequent during the vegetative period (spring and summer). Suspend entirely in the winter.
- SOIL: The Neoporteria grow well in poor and very sandy and drained soils. Use standard soil for cactaceae, adding some sand.
- CONCIMATION: Add monthly to the watering in spring and summer, a liquid fertilizer with little nitrogen.
- REPOT: Being small cacti, they rarely need to be repotted.
- REPRODUCTION: Neopolyia’s multiplication is by sowing. It rarely emits pollen, but when it does they can be used as cuttings.
