Sulcorebutia  heinzii
(Syn: Sulcorebutia sp. HS151 Totora-Omereque)

Sulcorebutia heinzii HS 151
It  has very dark blue body, pectinated spines and shining deep magenta flowers.

Description:  This is a very distinctive cactus, even without flowers.
Stem: Flat, at first single, offsetting in age to form clusters or cushions,  Single heads 30–50 mm wide, of a very dark tanned green or almost black.
Areoles:  White, narrow
Spines: Short, pectinated, at first reddish and then brown.
Flowers: Magenta,  in May.
 

Short appressed brown pectinate spines.
 

Cultivation:  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.

Scientific name:  Sulcorebutia heinzii Halda, Heřtus & Horáček
Published in: Acta Musei Richnoviensis 10 (2): 155 – 156, 2003

Field number: HS151 Collector: Heinz Swoboda

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Origin:  Siles, (Road Totora-Omereque km 23, above pump station, 2800 m) Cochabamba, Bolivia

• Rebutia steinbachii ssp. heinzii  (hort.?)
• Sulcorebutia HS151
• Sulcorebutia tiraquensis (Cárdenas) Ritter var. totorensis Aug. et Gertel
  Published in:  Augustin et al. (2000) -  Sulcorebutia (Verlag Eugen Ulmer)
• Sulcorebutia totorensis HS151
• Weingartia totorensis (Cárdenas) F.H. Brandt
  Published in: Kakt. Orchid. Rundschau, 1979 (5): 69, 1979
• Cinnabarinea torotorensis
• Sulcorebutia steinbachii subvar. Totorensis.
• Sulcorebutia aff augustinii HS151

Very dark green stems & contrasting white areoles.

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Sulcorebutia steinbsachii  complex (This Taxon has lots of synonyms, with several controversial varieties and subspecies):

• S. augustinii (S steinbachii subvar. augustinii )
• S. heinzii HS151 (S. steinbachii subvar. totorensis)
• S. taratensis var. minima (S. steinbachii)