Family: Cactaceae
Habitat: Mexico
Cultivation: Pelecyphora are not particularly difficult to cultivate but have a very slow growth. It is advisable to place them in a well-ventilated area, in the sun, and be very careful with the watering.
Curiosity: Pelecyphora aselliformis is a sacred plant for the native Americans and contains small amounts of mescaline.

PELECYPHORA KEY FEATURES

Pelecyphora genus includes very few species of small cacti originating in Mexico. The stem is globular, subdivided into tubercles which are, however, slightly pronounced and appear flat on the surface. It is there that there are woolen areolas from which a series of combed and not  prickly thorns come out, which give the plant an extremely special appearance. It has got robust and fleshy  roots; the flowers are pink  dark pink, funnel-shaped and with narrow petals, and they grow on the top of the plant in the spring.

VARIETIES AND TYPES

The Pelecyphora genus includes very few species. The main ones are:

• Pelecyphora aselliformis
• P. strobiliformis

According to the classification used, you can also find among the Pelecyphora:

• P. pectinata
• P. piumosa
• P. pulcherrima
• P. valdeziana

TIPS FOR GROWING

Thanks to its robust root, Pelecyphora cultivation is not particularly complex even though these cactaceae have a very slow growth. Here are our tips:

• EXPOSURE: Choose a sunny but very well-ventilated location to limit the risk of sunburn in the summer and of rot in winter.
• TEMPERATURE: Keep the plants always above a temperature of 7-8 ° C. Shelter them in winter.
• WATERING: From March to September,  during the vegetative period, water  each time  the soil is completely dry. Reduce the watering in autumn until suspending it in winter.
• SOIL: Use a standard soil for cactacea, or a mix in equal parts of peat and sand. To limit the risk of collar rot, you can put a light layer of sand around the area where the plant contacts the soil.
• CONCIMATION: Dilute a specific product for  cactacea in the water and use once a month.
• REPOT: With slow growth, pelecyphora does not need frequent repotting.
• REPRODUCTION: This cactacea generally reproduces by seeds, despite it is a very slow method. The plants often produce pollen that can be used as cuttings, but they are not easy to root. This is also why they are not often in the market.