Vatricania guentheri (Espostoa guentheri)

Vatricania guentheri

Family: Cactaceae

Native to Bolivia. It is a shrubby columnar cactus with attractive golden-spined stems that exhibit varying densities of fox-red lateral cephalia; that is, beds of woolly hairs grown on the sides of the branches from which comes flowers and fruits.

Sowing instructions: Fill a pot with a moist, gritty, loam-based compost, or cacti compost. Gently firm down and level the surface. Scatter your mixed cactus seeds over the surface, taking care not to sow them too thickly. Gently sprinkle a thin layer of vermiculite or fine grit over the seeds, covering the whole surface of the compost. Leave the pot in a greenhouse or on a warm windowsill, covered with a clear plastic bag to preserve soil moisture. Seedlings will develop within a few weeks. Remove the plastic bag and water when the compost becomes dry, but spray the surface with water regularly, to keep it moist.

Locality: Ex Hort. Harvest: January 2025