Turbinocarpus alonsoi
(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. The plant is shipped in its pot to prevent any damage to the roots).
Locality: Xichu, Guanajuato, México.
Description: T. alonsoi is a small geophytic solitary cactus with a large tap-root, and only the apical part of the stem exposed at soil levels.
Flowers: Cherry red to pink-magenta.
Blooming season: From March to October, mainly between April and June
Cultivation: It's a fairly easy and robust species to cultivate, but very slow growing. It needs a very well-drained soil, and requires strong sun to part sun to keep the plant compact and low and to develop a good spinal growth. Waterings should be rather infrequent to keep the plant compact, and avoid its becoming excessively elongated and unnatural in appearance. Furthermore it has a tap root, and watering it properly is often difficult, because it tends to crack open or rot if over-watered. Careful watering away from the body of the plant will allow the areoles to keep their wool. Keep dry in winter, or when night temperatures remain below 10° C. It is hardy to -4°C for a short period. Assure a good ventilation.
Reproduction: From seed, since the plant rarely produces plantlets, or grafted.
Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz
