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Sulcorebutia steinbachii
 

Description: It is a clumping plant (rarely solitary), readily forming, especially in cultivation, clumps of many heads. Plants are often dimorphic: short spined juvenile forms transform at maturity to strongly spined forms. Some of these juvenile forms, however, may persist without transformation to the mature form.
Stem: 24-40 mm tall, up to 50 mm wide, flattened globose, greysh-green to dark green sometime tinged red.
Ribs: Approx 13, spiralling, poorly distinguished, forming oblong rhomboidal grooved tubercles.
Areoles: Long narrow depressed with short grey felt (almost naked) 3 – 6 long, 1,5-2 mm large.
Radial spines: 9-12 (or more) about up to 20 mm long, acicular, addpressed against the body, ± pectinate to porrect, white, yellow, brown with darker tips or almost black, ± curved slow to develops, frequently absent on new areoles at plant apex.
Central spines: None or usually 1 to 3, 10-30 mm long, only slightly stouter of the same colour of the radials.
Flowers: Arising from monoflorous areoles, in lower lateral flower zone. Rarely more than 3,5 cm long and 4,5 in diameter, yellow, red, magenta or orange with white inner petals. Floral tube funnel-shaped, with broad naked scales.
Phenology: Blossoming time: Late spring.
Fruits: Small papery olive green to reddish brown at maturity.
Seeds: Black.

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Scientific Name: Sulcorebutia steinbachii Werderman 1931

Distribution: North and east of Cochabamba in the Cordillera de Cochabamba, in southern Bolivia.  Sulcorebutia is the type species of the genus  Sulcorebutia.  The first plants were collected near Colomi, along the route from Cochabamba to Chapare, by a Herr Steinbach.

Habitat: Grows mainly on a flat, dry, stony area along the banks of the Rio Lopez, just before the moister zone of the tiraquensis populations. Altitude

Habitat: Grows mainly on high altitude, dry, stony habitats often on flats. Altitude 2950 – 3900 m.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES Appendix II.

Cultivation: S. polymorpha 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 and an appropriate air circulation. Plants are quite frost hardy -5 (-10)° C
Watering Needs: Water moderately in the growing season, keep dry during  the winter rest
Frost Tolerance:  Overwinter  in a cool place (at 0/10°C)  this is important for the flowers as well as for plants health. Without this cool winter period they normally wont get any buds. Sun Exposure: Needs a full sun exposure ( light shadow my be useful in the hottest summer days)

Propagation: Seed, cutting, grafting

NOTE: Sulcorebutia steinbachii is one of the most variable cactus species. The colour of the flower, the spines length, the body shape and pigmentation is extremely variable, even within a population. There are also many localized phenotypes capable of maintaining their separate identity, even though only a few kilometers apart and by former authors considered as separated species and varieties. They are nowadays considered just phenotypes of a highly polymorphic specie. These subpopulations are not only morphologically based but also geographically and can be grouped as follow:

Group 1a: Cochabamba to Chapare, northward and eastward to Tiraque

• Sulcorebutia glomerispina
• S. tuberculato-chrysantha
• S. polymorphaS. kruegeri
• S. hoffmannianaS. glanduliflora Card. n.n.
• S. cochabambina
• S. steinbachii & vars. australis, gracilior, etc.A

Group 1b: Province Tiraque to Epizana an eastward to Comarapa, 2,800 m-3.000 m.

• Sulcorebutia tiraquensis & vars. longiseta
• S. spinosior & aglaia (bicolorispina)
• S. lepida
• S. krahnii

Group 2: Cerro Tunari-south and east of Cochabamba-Izata to Anzaldo, 3,400-3,900 m

• Sulcorebutia verticillacantha
• S. tunariensis
• S. taratensis & var. minima
• S. mizquensis
• S. pojoniensis Rausch n.n.A

Group 3: West of Cochabamba-Ayopaya, 2,000-2,500 m

• Sulcorebutia arenacea
• S. candiae
• S. menesesii & vars. kamiensis
• S. muschii
• S. glomeriseta

Group 4: Around Totora and southward toward Epizana, 2,600-3,000 m

• Sulcorebutia oenanthaA
• S. totorensis
• S. pampagrandensis

Group 5: A limited area around Pasopaya and eastwards, 2,000 m

• Sulcorebutia cardenasiana
• S. langeri

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Sulcorebutia steinbachi complex (This Taxon has lots of synonyms whit several controversial varieties and subspecies and comprises a multitude of different forms, but where each form is linked to others by populations of plants with intermediate characteristics):

• S. steinbachii
• S. augustinii (S. steinbachii subvar. augustinii )
• S. augustinii forma cristata
• S. heinzii HS151 (S. steinbachii subvar. totorensis)
• S. polymorpha (S. steinbachii var. polymorpha)
• S. taratensis var. minima (S. steinbachii)
• S. tiraquensis (S. steinbachii ssp. aguillarii)
• S. tiraquensis var. aguillari  (S. steinbachii ssp. aguillarii)

All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.