Thelocactus hexaedrophorus
Synonyms:
Echinocactus hexaedrophorus
Echinofossulocactus hexaedrophorus
Thelocactus hexaedrophorus var. decipiens
Habitat:
T. hexaedrophorus is native to Mexico Northeast and Mexico Southwest where the plant grows on gentle limestone hill slopes and can spread up to 2000 m of altitude.
Description:
T. hexaedrophorus is a rare cactus belonging to the Cactaceae botanical family. The plant is usually solitary and can reach up to 8 cm in height and 15 cm in diameter. The stem is globose, fleshy, barrel-shaped, arranged in 8-13 ribs made of fat, rounded tubercles covered with circular and hairy areoles. The areoles are woolly and bear 4-6 erect, whitish to reddish radial spines, up to 2 cm long. Blooming occurs in late spring early summer, and blossom are borne at the apex of the stem. The showy ephemeral flowers are funnel-shaped, white to pink with yellow stamens. Fruits are spherical, green to dark red and covered with scales.
Cultivation:
This is a slow growing plant, easy to cultivate. The plant needs a full light sun exposure but is recommended to avoid direct sun-light in the hottest periods. The plant does not like temperatures below 4°C so it needs to be placed indoors in the coldest periods. The soil should be mixed with pumice, clay and loam to allow the drainage and prevent the root rot, the plant is prone to it indeed. Remember to use a perforating pot to drain excess water. Watering can be done regularly in Spring and Summer: 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. If you want a faster and lush growth you can fertilize the plant once a month during the growing season with the specific fertilizers for cacti; stop fertilizing throughout the winter. If the pot starts to be too small for the plant you can repot the plant 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:
The name comes from the Greek “thele”, that means nipples, and refers to the many tubercles that furrow its surface (an origin of the name similar to that of the genus “mammillaria”).
Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com
Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com
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