Kabuto

ASTERIAS

About:

Astrophytum asterias also known as Sea-Urchin Cactus or Sand Dollar is an extremely flat barrel cactus with unique and remarkably beautiful form and no typical covering of spines, but with tiny speckled tuft of hairs less than pinhead-sized. It produces large yellow, white or pinkish-purple flowers with orange throats often larger than the plant itself. The common name comes from resemblance to sea urchin without spines. It has a non-branched stem which is a disc-shaped to low dome-shaped, grey-green to dull green mature plants 2-7 cm tall, 5-16 cm broad, dotted with numerous minuscule tufts of bright white wool (hairy scales). These hairy scales are usually loose, sprinkled over the stem in irregular patterns, sometimes arched around the areoles or on line.

Flowering Season: In habitat the flowering period is spring and each flower lasts for one or two days only, but the plant may flower at any time during the warmer months of the year if adequate water is provided.

Planting Media: Use soilrite mix thoroughly mixed with sand and pebbles (1-1.5cm). The soil mixture must be well drained.

Water: Requires careful watering to keep plant compact. Water sparingly during hot seasons, the thin, fibrous roots suffer if there is humidity, therefore the plant should be watered only when the surrounding terrain is dry. Keep dry as soon as the temperature starts dropping in October and keep it perfectly dry in winter at temperatures from 5 to 15 degrees centigrade.

Sunlight: Light shade to full sun, its color tends to richer and darker when grown in light shade.

IMAGE IS FOR REFERENCE PURPOSE ONLY. ACTUAL PRODUCT MAY VARY IN SHAPE OR APPEARANCE BASED ON CLIMATE, AGE, HEIGHT, ETC.