Cactus Gymnocalycium Quehlianum

Gymnocalycium Quehlianum, commonly called pink-boxed cactus, is a compact, slow-growing species from Argentina. It is a spherical cactus that grows up to five centimeters in height by seven in width, with stems that are usually not longer than seven centimeters in width, and is one of the flattest Gymnocalycium that barely rises from the ground. One notable thing is the body’s color, which can range from dark red to dark blueish green.

It has six to eight brown radial spines that grow attached to the plant body, making it almost smoothly manipulated. It has no central spines and has woolly areola. The flowers are white or pale pink (or the combination of both) as they open, with the reddish throat, however, the initial color we see since the shoots come out is brown. They are relatively large compared to cactus, about six centimeters long.

One positive thing is that they are starting to flourish since they are quite young and these can last up to a week open and, curiously, if there are four outbreaks, all four will suddenly open. As far as irrigation is concerned, if we water once every fortnight in the spring, once a week in the summer and once a month in the autumn, it will be more than enough. When the cold comes, we must eliminate the irrigation until the minimum temperatures are again equal to or above seven positive degrees. Before irrigation, make sure the substrate is completely dry.

Finally, apart from the excess moisture and possible rot, we should not worry too much about diseases or fungi that can end our precious specimen.