Synonyms:

Rebutia Rauschii
Rebutia canigueralii
Sulcorebutia canigueralii
Weingartia rauschii
Aylostera zavaletae Cárdenas
Rebutia canigueralii subsp. crispata (Rausch) Donald ex D.R.Hunt
Rebutia canigueralii subsp. pulchra (Cárdenas) Donald ex D.R.Hunt
Rebutia caracarensis Cárdenas
Rebutia inflexiseta Cárdenas
Rebutia pulchra Cárdenas

Habitat:

S. Rauschii violacidermis is native to Bolivia, in the mountain region, at altitudes between 2000 and 4000 m.

Description:

S. Rauschii is a small and slow growing cactus, 4 cm tall and 3cm in diameter. The plant consists of stems covered by flat tubercles. Tubercles are violet and form spiral rows that join at the apex. The tiny flat spines are black and short and take on a herringbone shape. Thefunnel-shaped flowers are brightmagentaand you can observe them between may and july.Roots are conical and longer than large and are very sensitive.

Cultivation:

S. Rauschii is quite difficult to cultivate and there are some issues to consider: the soil should be well-drained and loam, because the roots are soft. Therefore, watering must be interrupted during the winter quiescent period and later, during spring and summer, you can water the plant every 15 days. Using perforating pot, you can drain excess water and avoid root rot. Cactus needs a full sun exposure normally, but in the hottest summer days light shadow can be useful. For a more flourishing growth you can fertilize twice a year with mineral or organic feritilizer. S. Rauschii needs 0-10 °C to overwinter, this is very important to the plant to get buds. Until the plant is reduced in size you can repot it every 2 years.

Propagation:

Propagation can be realized through seed, cutting or grafting on Opuntia Compressa. Cutting is very simple thanks to offsets: these are small buds that grow at the base of cactus; you can cut offsets and plant them directly in the soil, in a few days they will emit new roots and you will have new plants. Cutting in possible all year long, but you can reach better results during the spring-summer period.

Curiosity:

The plant name is due to the violet tubercles, since“violacidermis” derives from the latin word “violaceus” that means “violet” and from the greek word “derma” that means “skin”.