Escobaria abdita | World of Succulents

Scientific Name

Escobaria abdita Řepka & Vaško

Scientific Classification

Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Cacteae
Genus: Escobaria

Description

Escobaria abdita is a fascinating little, very cryptic, geophytic cactus with a swollen subterranean root. The stem is solitary, up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) in diameter, but often more in cultivation. Spines are short, ivory to chalk-white, more or less spindle-shaped, round and four-layered in cross-section in a characteristic radial-pectinate arrangement. Flowers are small whitish with light pink stripes on the tepals, up to 1.8 incesh (4.5 cm) long and up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) wide. The fruits are up to 0.3 inch (8 mm) long, as it mature it dry up into a very thin translucent, parchment-like structure.

Photo via kkplzen.eu

How to Grow and Care

The Escobaria are very susceptible to rot and therefore require a well-drained soil, without any water excess or stagnation; it has been observed that the plants also suffer the environmental humidity, which should preferably remain very low (30-50%). Avoid watering during the winter, when the plant is dormant: watering

Escobaria in cold environmental conditions will almost certainly lead to death of the plant. In the growing season the plants, whose growth is typically quite slow, like to perceive a significant temperature difference between night and day. The experienced grower knows well the difficulties of survival of this genus, certainly not one of the easiest to grow. The seed germination rate is lower than other genus and in fact other methods of propagation are preferable, as a offsets or cuttings… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Escobaria.