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A. asterias is one of the most attractive species of
cactus,
admired by cactus lovers.
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The shell of a sea urchin |
Etymology:
The
generic name "Astrophytum"
derives from the Greek words "aster (αστηρ)", meaning a
"star" and "phyton (φυτον)",
meaning "plant".
( The Genus name implies: "star plant").
The
specific name "asterias"
derives from the Greek name “aster (αστηρ)”
which means “a star” an aster type plant*,
and the Greek suffix “ias
(-ιας)
”meaning
“like to, comparable, similar” The specific name
implies:
"star like (like an aster)"
* Referring (may be) to the Aster (Aster
amellus) Or to Asterias which is the name of
a genus of starfish (but this palnt looks like the sea urchin shell) |
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Description: Solitary
geophyte cactus.
Stem: non-branched,
flat, dark green. Diameter 3(8)16 cm. Height 2
to 6 cm. Just flat to the
ground surface, the plant
body grows on the native
habitat practically complete buried . Only in cultivation plants may
have a
spherical till
columnar
shape.
Ribs: 5(8)11, generally it has eight flat ribs, rare few or
more. ( but in cultivation selected
cultivars can have from 4 to 13 ribs), The normal rib number eight
is very stable, independent of the age of the plant.
Roots:
the
underground body is fleshy,
turnip-like, with
fine roots.
Spines: Not any. Only
seedlings show some
rudimentary spines within the first weeks and
months.
Hairy scales: usually loose - are sprinkled over the stem in
irregular
patterns, sometimes arched around the
areoles or on line. Cultivated plants possess sometimes very dense
and big hairy scales. There are also completely flake free pure
green specimens.
Areoles: round, cream-colored till white
hairy up to 6
(3-12) mm) of diameters. The areoles are normally
set in a separation up to 10 mm, but can be very close one to each other
at cultivated plants. |
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Flowers: at the
apex from the vegetation point, (60) 74 mm in diameter, normally
yellow with a red, orange or rare pure yellow
throat, were also described plants with pink-red flowers. But it
is normal that flower colour tends in all Astrophytums to increase a
pink blush ageing.
Pistil: with 1(6)9
stigmas.
Fruit: completely naked without spines at the lower area,
hairy whit few thin black
scales in the upper area. It doesn't open like the other species
on the
top or at the
base but "collapses" in the lower part.
Seed: Seed
mature very fast in only 20-30 days, they are 2mm whide
cap shaped, brown to black and
shining, the
colour tends to get darker with the maturation
duration.. they are
distributed by ants or rodents (birds?).
Seedlings: with very
succulent small and diminutive
cotyledons. Also a compact, succulent,
spherical
hypocotyl.
Hybrid: A. asterias is
self sterile and can be crossed with Astrophytum
species producing flower with red
throat (A. coahuilense and A. capricorne), but it is very
difficult to be crossed with the pure yellow flowering
Astrophytums (A. myriostigma and A. ornatum).
It seems also unable to interbreed with A. medusoideis. |
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Some cultivars |
cv. Superkabuto |
cv. Superkabuto snow (form with woolly flakes) |
Albinos/coulored and normal seedling |
forma nuda |
cv Ruri Kakuto
(cv. Ooibo kabuto) |
cv. Superkabuto
V-type form |
cv. Superkabuto
star form |
10 ribs (multicostatum) |
Star shape type |
cv. Hanazono |
cv. Superkabuto
V-type form "tiger" |
cv. Curly petals |
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Some
hybrids |
hybr. CO-AS
♀ coahuilense x
♂ asterias |
hybr. AS-MYR
♀ asterias x ♂ onzuka |
hybr. AS-CAP♀ asterias superkabuto x ♂ capricorne
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hybr. AS-SEN(AU)
(♀
A. asterias x
♂ A. senilis var. aureum) |
hybr. SK-CO
♀ asterias superkabuto x ♂ coahuilense |
hybr. CA-PAS green
♀ capricorne nudum x
♂ asterias nudum |
hybr. CAP-AS
♀ capricorne x ♂ asterias |
hybr. CO-SK
♀ coahuilense x
♂ asterias SUPERKABUTO
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Family:
Cactaceae
(Cactus
Family)
Scientific name:
Astrophytum asterias
(Zucc.)
Lem
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 1
Common names:
The
name "Peyote" used by the natives comes presumably by the external similarity
to Lophophora williamsii, however there is no closer botanic
relationship. Till now, there is no found of hallucinogenic in the
plants despite multiple contrary assertions.
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Astrophytum asterias ( cv. Superkabuto)
Flowers are usually
yellow with a red, orange
throat,
plants start blooming when about 3 cm diameter.
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Astrophytum asterias
Generally this plat has eight
ribs, few or more ribs
(like in the photo above) are unusual.
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A. asterias (Llera Tam. MX.)
A plant with the typical eight
ribs with white tufts of loose
hairy
scales.
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Cultivation is not too difficult in a
greenhouse, although grows
quite slowly. The plants need a loose well-drained
mineral soil. They need a good amount of
light.
Watering can be done weekly during
summertime, if the weather is
sunny enough, with a little
fertilizer added. Kept this way, plants will
show a
healthy, although slow
growth. They are
frost hardy to -4°
(-10°) C
Propagation:
By
seeds, remembering that
seedlings dislike strong
light and
dry conditions and need to be
repotted frequently. Eventually, as they become mature, they attain a
maximum size of 8-10 cm (20) cm. However, old plants become
senile and have
a tendency to succumb to
disease and a weak
root system. At this
stage,
as is well known, they
die suddenly. So, after they reach
10 cm in
diameter grow them slowly, and adopt a new repotting period, using
intervals of every 2 - 3 years. Additionally grow them under drier
conditions or with stronger sunlight. But plants are often
grafted to accelerate growth as
they would generally take at least a five years to reach
maturity on their
own, but the grafted plants are typical rather tall growing, compared
with plants on their own roots that are usually more flat to the
ground.
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Fruit are
spineless, completely
naked at the lower area with
few
scales and
hairy in the upper area.
(photo: cv superkabuto snow)
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Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of
Astrophytum asterias:
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Cultivation and Mail Sale 
