This a plant that grows between rocks in habitat and rarely branches. Andreas Hofacker, a German botanist, visited south of Santana da Boa Vista, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil in 1992 and collected plant material of this species. The average altitude in the municipality of Santana da Boa Vista is 306 metres. My plant was grown from seed sown in April 1996 by fellow Fife Branch member, Bill Christie. The areoles are well spaced and woolly and the spination is rather strong (Fig. 1). The spines are yellowish, about 20–25mm long, and are straight or curved downward. The apex of the plant is also very woolly.
I bought this plant for just £3.00 at a Branch meeting in October 2019. Opportunities like this are a great incentive to attend more local Branch meetings when it is again permitted and safe to do so.
I grow it on the sunniest windowsill that I have and open the window regularly throughout the year to provide ventilation. I watered the plant every couple of weeks between April and September last year, ensuring that it thoroughly dried out between each watering. It produced three flowers in July 2020. The flowers are pale yellow in colour and are glossy in appearance (Fig. 2).
I have not re-potted the plant since receiving it but can tell you that it grows in a 10cm pot (Fig. 3) and that it is potted in a mix consisting of 4 parts John Innes ericaceous compost, 2 parts perlite, and 1 part mineral-based cat litter.
Andrew Rowley
With thanks to Dr Jim Gibbs & Bill Christie
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