Synonyms:

No synonyms are recorded for this species name.

Habitat:

Opuntia engelmannii cv. boskowitzii is a nursery cultivar and thus doesn’t exist in nature. The regular Opuntia engelmannii, instead, is native to Mexico and the United States, where it thrives in desert scrubs and grasslands, in semi-arid climates and a variable altitude range (150 to 1800 meters above the sea level).

Description:

Opuntia engelmannii cv. boskowitzii is a tiny, rare cacti cultivar, not resembling any other Opuntia at all. It consists in a cluster of flattened stems. The stems are composed by flattened bodies called “cladodes”. Cladodes grow on each other forming a stem-like structure. They often fall on the ground, detaching from the whole stem, and easily put roots. In Opuntias, they usually have an oval shape, but in this particular species, they are more elongated, irregularly elliptical. The typical feature of this cultivar is the fluffy, long white hair, covering all the stem and replacing the spines. The fluff sprouts from the areoles. Areoles are the typical buds of cacti, from which spines (glochids, in the case of Opuntias) grow. In this species, areoles are like white, tiny buttons at the top of slightly pronounced tubercles. The hair and the typical shape of the cladodes are a typical feature of this cultivar: the regular Opuntia engelmannii is rather more similar to a prickly pear or any other Opuntia and has yellow, stiff, long spines, instead of the fluff. Flowers, instead, are solitary and sprout at the top of the stem. They have numerous petals and a scaly, succulent calyx. They might be yellow or orange.

Cultivation:

Opuntia engelmannii cv. boskowitzii is a tough plant and not difficult to grow. Here below are our tips:

Place it in a sunny spot, fully exposed to sunlight. The fluff should be able to protect it from sunburnts normally. To stay safer, though, you might avoid direct sun reays during the hottest hours of Summer days.
Its minimum tolerated temperature is 3ºC. We advise to shelter it or moving it indoors if you live in zones with rigid Winters. Also, Winter rainfalls can damage it, causing stem and root rot.
In Spring and Summer, water it regularly but only when the soil dries completely up. In Winter, suspend completely any irrigation.
Choose a well-draining substrate, made of a standard compost with some perlite, pumice, or sand added, or either a specific substrate for succulents.
Opuntia engelmannii cv. boskowitzii is a tough plant, used to thrive in poor, rocky soils, thus fertilization can be limited to once a year, during the growth season (Spring and Summer), using specific products for cacti and succulents, rich in Phosphorus and Potassium and poor in Nitrogen.
Repotting can be necessary up to once a year, as Opuntia engelmannii cv. boskowitzii is a fast-growing species. It is also suited for cultivation in rocky gardens of warm climate areas but pay attention: it will expand in all directions and occupy all its available space. Its falling cladodes, in fact, might detach and fall on the ground, easily putting new roots. Also, it’s a prostrate cacti, and its falling stems might put roots when they touch the soil.

Propagation:

All Opuntias can be easily propagated through seeds and cuttings. Cladodes can be detached and used as cuttings. They have to be buried for 2 centimeters in depth into the soil and put in an upright position. Before planting them, let the wound dry for a couple of days, until a callous forms. Seeds germinate in around 2 weeks and have to be kept at 20/25ºC in a moist substrate.

Curiosity:

Opuntia was named after “Opunte”, the capital of Locride region in ancient Greece. 

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

Tips:
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