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Description:
This is an unusual variety, with red blooms, which
is very uncharacteristic of this genus and a rarity in collections. This
selected cultivars bears beautiful flowers shaded in dark pinkish-red,
orange-red or purple wine-red with usually even darker flower edges .
However a very few red flowered specimens will appear time by time
among normal yellow flowered plants, and are very rare. They are sought
after collector and are sold (when available) for very high ciphers for
that reason. Their traditional source, of course, is Japan but they are
also found in European collections too. And also - like for the normal
Astrophytum - their flower colour tends s to increase a darker tone
ageing.
Stem: non-branched,
flat, dark green. Diameter 3(8)16 cm. Height 2
to 6 cm. Just flat to the
ground surface.
Ribs: Generally it has eight flat ribs, rare few or more.
Spines: Not any.
Hairy scales: Usually loose, sprinkled over the stem in
irregular
patterns, sometimes arched around the
areoles or on line.
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.
Flowers: At the
apex from the vegetation point, up to 75 mm in diameter. This
cultivar has unusual pink-red or orange-red blooms. But it
is normal that flower colour tends in all Astrophytums to increase a
pink blush ageing.
Cultivation: It 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. But plants are often
grafted to accelerate growth as they would generally take at least a
five years to reach
maturity on their own.
Photo of conspecific
taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Astrophytum asterias:
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Cultivation
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