Solcurebutia arenacea

Solcurebutia arenacea 

(This plant comes in a 3.5" pot. You will receive a very similar plant to the one in the picture. It may or may not be blooming at the time of your purchase. This plant is shipped in its pot to prevent any damage to the roots).  

Origin and Habitat: Cochabamba, Bolivia, South America. The species has a very restricted range (area of occupancy 20km2)

Altitude: 1,500-1,600 metres above sea level.

Habitat and Ecology: Rebutia arenacea grows in seasonally dry inter-Andean valley. The species is naturally scarce and near Threatened because there are no obvious threats affecting it. The plant is use as an ornamental in specialised collections, come from cultivation, not from wild populations.

Description: Rebutia arenacea, better known as Sulcorebutia arenacea, is a choice solitary user-friendly plant, with perfectly neat, symmetrical pectinate spination and profuse yellowish orange flowers. This cactus is indeed beautiful even without its blooms.

Habit: It is a low-growing geophytic, stem-succulent. The stems can form pups after a certain size and age.

Related species: It is closely allied and intergrades with Rebutia glomeriseta and Rebutia candiae that grows in the same area. They may all be different forms of the same polymorphic species.

Stems: Globoid flat to the ground 2-4 cm tall 2,-6 cm in diameter, yellowish/greenish to brownish/purple, with about 30 spiralled and strong tuberculate ribs.

Areoles: Elongate, creamy grey.

Spines: 14-16, Tiny, up to 4(-5) mm long, minutely pubescent whitish yellowish, amber or tan smooth, pectinate held tightly that give a sandy effect.

Flower: Very nice 2,5/3 cm large and long, yellow to yellowish-orange.

Blooming season: Late winter to spring.

Fruits: Reddish brown.

Cultivation and Propagation: These mountainous plants have thick taproots and are susceptible to overwatering. They loves a very permeable, coarse mineral soil as well as to be strictly kept dry throughout the winter quiescent period since it is very sensitive to any moisture excesses, To prevent rottenness it is also advisable to surround its root neck by very rough sand or grit, this help a fast water drainage. They requires also an appropriate air circulation and are sometime grafted to avoid root problems. They need to be kept in a cool place during winter rest (at 0-10°C). This is important for the flowers ,as well as for their health. Without this cool winter period, they normally won't get any buds.

Grafted plants are very easy to grow, and are quite frost hardy (-5° C) if kept dry. Needs a full sun exposure ( light shadow my be useful in the hottest summer days)

Propagation: Seed, cutting, grafting

Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com,  llifle.com and cactus-art.biz