Matucana aurantiaca
| Light | Bright light with some direct sun; a little shade from the fiercest afternoon heat |
|---|---|
| Water | Moderate in the growing season, allowing the mix to dry between waterings; keep dry in winter |
| Soil | Fast-draining, gritty mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Keep above freezing; roughly USDA zones 9b–11, with a cool dry winter rest |
| Propagation | Seed (primary); offsets where plants cluster |
| Toxicity | Not known to be toxic to cats or dogs |
Matucana aurantiaca is a robust, strongly ribbed globular to shortly columnar cactus from the Andes of Peru, grown for its stout spines and its striking upright flowers in shades of orange to yellow. Plants are usually solitary but may in time form a few heads, making a sturdy, weighty specimen prized by collectors of South American cacti. It belongs to the genus Matucana, a group of Peruvian highland cacti known for their tubular, often tilted flowers.
Description
Matucana aurantiaca forms a firm, dark green body that begins globular and may become shortly columnar with age, typically reaching around 10–15 cm across in cultivation. The body is divided into numerous low, rounded ribs carrying closely set areoles. From these emerge stout, stiff spines that vary from pale yellowish to brown, radiating outward and sometimes partly obscuring the body — the spination is variable across the species' range and between individual plants.
The flowers are the plant's chief attraction: borne near the crown, they are broadly funnel-shaped and held more or less upright, in warm tones of orange through orange-red to yellow. As in many Matucana, the flower is zygomorphic (a little lopsided) rather than perfectly radial, a family trait linked to pollination by hummingbirds in habitat.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to Peru, where it grows on rocky Andean slopes and among grassland at moderate to high elevation. Plants root in gritty, sharply drained ground and experience strong sun, cool nights and a pronounced dry season — conditions worth keeping in mind when growing them. Like all members of the family, Matucana aurantiaca is covered by the CITES listing of the Cactaceae; nursery-propagated plants are widely and legally available, while collecting from the wild is neither necessary nor permitted.
Cultivation
Matucana aurantiaca is a rewarding and reasonably forgiving cactus for a collector who respects its need for drainage. Grow it in a very free-draining, mostly mineral mix in a pot only a little larger than the plant, in bright light with some direct sun to keep the body compact and the spines strong. Water thoroughly during the warm months once the mix has dried, then allow it to dry again; taper off in autumn and keep the plant dry and cool through winter. This cool, dry rest hardens the plant, helps prevent rot and encourages the following season's flowers. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Propagation
Seed is the usual and most reliable method: sown on a warm, gritty surface and kept humid, the seed germinates readily, and raising plants from seed produces the strongest root systems. Where a plant has formed offsets, these can be removed, allowed to callus and rooted as offsets; otherwise start fresh from seed. Vigorous seedlings are occasionally grafted to speed early growth, though the species grows well enough on its own roots that this is seldom necessary.
Common problems
- Rot — the commonest cause of loss, almost always from overwatering, a slow-draining mix, or moisture during the winter rest; the body softens and discolours, usually from the base.
- Etiolation — too little light makes the body pale and elongate and weakens the spines, spoiling the plant's stout, symmetrical look.
- Pests — red spider mites (fine webbing and bronzed skin) and mealybugs (white fluff among the areoles and roots) are the usual offenders; see Pests and diseases.
See also
- Matucana — the genus overview
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Propagation - seed · Propagation - offsets · Grafting