Rebutia flavistyla
| Light | Bright light with a little protection from the harshest summer sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Regular in the growing season, allowing the mix to dry between waterings; keep dry and cool in winter |
| Soil | Fast-draining, gritty mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Keep frost-free in growth; when bone dry it tolerates brief dips to about −4 °C (roughly USDA zone 9b), but is safest kept just above freezing |
| Propagation | Offsets (easy) and seed |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic to cats and dogs |
Rebutia flavistyla is a small, freely clumping cactus in the genus Rebutia, prized by collectors for its bright orange, funnel-shaped flowers and the pale yellow style that gives the species its name. Like most of its relatives it is an easygoing, cold-tolerant miniature that flowers generously even on young plants, quickly building up into a low cushion of small heads.
Description
Rebutia flavistyla forms small, more or less globular stems that offset freely from the base to build a dense clump over time. Each head is modest in size, softly ribbed and broken into low, spiralling tubercles, and clothed in fine, short, pale spines that lie close against the body rather than forming a fierce armament.
The flowers are the main attraction: bright orange, funnel-shaped and produced in a ring low around the base of the stems, as is typical for the genus. The distinguishing feature — and the source of the epithet flavistyla, "yellow style" — is the clear yellow style at the centre of each bloom, a subtle detail that separates it from otherwise similar orange-flowered Rebutia. Flowers open in flushes over spring and early summer, and plants can set small pods of fine seed.
Distribution and habitat
Rebutia flavistyla is native to the high country of South America, growing in the mountains of southern Bolivia (Tarija). Plants of this group typically grow at altitude among rocks and grass, rooted in gritty, sharply drained ground where they experience strong sun, cool nights and a distinctly cold, dry winter. That mountain origin is the key to their hardiness and their need for a genuine winter rest.
Cultivation
Rebutia flavistyla is one of the easiest cacti for a cool, bright windowsill or unheated greenhouse, and an excellent beginner's plant. Grow it in a small pot of very free-draining, gritty mineral mix and give it bright light with just a little shade from the fiercest summer sun; too much shade produces soft, pale growth and few flowers.
Water regularly through the growing season, letting the mix dry out between drinks, then keep the plant cool and completely dry from late autumn through winter. This cold, dry rest is what triggers the heavy spring flowering — plants kept warm and watered all year round tend to grow lazily and bloom poorly. The species is fairly cold-hardy when dry and will take a light frost in a dry winter shelter, though it is safest kept just above freezing. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Propagation
Propagation could hardly be simpler. The freely produced offsets can be twisted or cut away, left to callus for a few days, and potted into a gritty mix where they root quickly. The species also comes readily from seed: the fine seed germinates easily on a warm, moist mineral surface, and seedlings can flower within a couple of years. Seed-raising is the best route if you want to preserve genetic variety across a clump.
Common problems
- Rot — the usual cause of loss, almost always from overwatering, a soggy mix, or watering during the winter rest. Keep the plant dry and cool in the cold months.
- Few flowers — usually a sign of too little light or a winter spent too warm and too wet; give brighter conditions and a proper cold, dry rest.
- Etiolation — insufficient light makes the heads elongate and pale, losing their tidy shape.
- Pests — mealybugs (white fluff among the offsets and roots) and red spider mites are the most common; check the crowded centre of the clump where they like to hide. See Pests and diseases.
See also
- Rebutia — the genus overview
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting
- Propagation — offsets · Propagation — seed
- Pests and diseases