Synonyms:

Parodia concinna
Astrophytum caespitosum
Echinocactus apricus
Echinocactus caespitosus
Echinocactus concinnus
Frailea caespitosa
Malacocarpus apricus
Malacocarpus caespitosus
Notocactus agnetae
Notocactus apricus
Notocactus tabularis
Notocactus blaauwianus
Notocactus caespitosus
Notocactus concinnioides
Peronocactus tabularis
Parodia caespitosa

Habitat:

Notocactus concinnus is native to Brazil South and Uruguay where the plant grows on rocky outcrops in grasslands or pampas and can spread up to 300 m of altitude.

Description:

Notocactus concinnus is a common perennial cactus belonging to the Cactaceae botanical family. The plant has a solitary habit but sometimes can branch from the base. The stem is globose to spherical and can reach up to 10 cm in height and 10 cm in diameter. The stem is globular, apically depressed, pale green to dark green in color and it is arranged in 16-20 ribs made of tubercles. The areoles are white, woolly and bear the spines. The 9-25 radial spines are long, thin, hair-like, whitish to yellowish and very close each other. The 1-4 central spines are longer, bristle-like, brownish to reddish and turned downward. Blooming occurs from the spring to the summer and the blossoms are borne at the apex of the stem. The flowers are large, funnel-shaped, showy and eye-catching with bright yellow petals and yellow stamens with red tips. The fruits are green and globular, containing shiny black seeds. This small cactus is ideal to give to beauty and color to your office and home.

Cultivation:

The plant has a slow growth rate but it easy to cultivate. The best sun-exposure is in bright place but is recommended to avoid direct sun-light in the hottest periods. The minimum temperatures that the plant can withstand are 7° C, below this temperature it begins to suffer so it needs to be placed indoors in the coldest periods. The perfect soil is a well-drained soil that let the water to drain away and avoid root rot. To achieve this feature, you can mix the pumice soil, clay and soil. Using a perforating pot, you can drain excess water. Watering is very important for this species and should be done well: during the vegetative period you can water the plant (every 7 days), checking that the soil is completely dry before watering again; in winter you should stop the watering to allow the plant to enter dormancy. About fertilization, for this plant is sufficient to fertilize moderately during the growing season with the specific fertilizers for succulents and stop fertilizing during the winter. You should repot the plant every 2 years in a pot 2 cm wider. Repotting should be done early in the growing season with fresh new potting soil. Be careful to red spiders and mealy bugs.

Propagation:

Propagation can be done by cutting or by seed. By cutting you can make the cut during the spring and then let the cutting dry; after a few days the cut surface will dry and a callus will form, then place the cutting in a mixture of sand, soil and pumice. To increase the success of propagation you can make two or more cuttings at the same time. For cuttings it is recommended temperatures around 20 °C. By seed it is very simple to propagate the plant, it is enough to sow the seed in a sandy loam soil and keep it with a high level of humidity and at temperature of 14 C°.

Curiosity:

Its name reflects its geographical area of distribution, that is further south than the one of many other cacti, which usually come from central part of the Americas. In fact, the Greek word ‘nòtos’ means southern.

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

Tips:
Read our advice