The characteristic features of the plant, caring for the coryphant in indoor conditions, the rules for breeding a cactus, the fight against possible pests and diseases, facts for the curious, species. Coryphantha (Coryphantha) belongs to the plants included in the Cactaceae family. The area in which in natural conditions this representative of the flora can be found falls on the lands of North America, and it starts from the southern regions of Canada, passes through all the western regions of the United States, converging to Mexico. The heights at which these plants prefer to "settle" range from 1000 to 1300 meters above sea level, while falling into different climatic zones. However, the only variety of Coryphantha vivipara and its various forms grows in the northern regions, while the rest have chosen American and Mexican areas for "residence".
If you understand the etymology (origin) of the scientific name of the cactus, then it is known that it resembles the fusion of two Greek words "koryfi" and "anthss", which translate as "top" and "flower", respectively. On this basis, it is clear that the name Coryphanta means “blooming at the top”.
All Coryphantha have stems that vary from spherical to cylindrical. Such cacti can grow either as a solitary plant (singly) or forming real clumps from shoots (areas completely filled with this sample of the green world). The ribs on the stems are absent, but tubercles (papillae) are formed on the surface, which collect in concentric spirals, twisting counterclockwise. If you look at such a spiral "pattern" from above, you can see that it is in the ratio of 5: 8, 8:13, 13:21 and so on. This sequence is called the Fibonacci series. The tubercles have a groove located on the upper part, extending from the apex (areola) to the base of the tubercle (axilla). In many varieties, both the groove and the sinus, located between the tubercles (the so-called axilla), are completely covered with pubescence in the form of thin whitish hairs, which merge into a continuous covering in the upper part of the shoot. The stem color is dark green. If a cactus grows in a desert area, then instead of tubercles (papillae), thorns are formed. Both of them are necessary for the plant so that moisture evaporation does not pass too quickly from the surface of the cactus stem.
During flowering, buds are formed, which are located near the base of young tubercles. The color of the petals in the flowers is usually bright yellow, but occasionally purple or red color appears. When fully expanded, the flower reaches 2–10 cm in diameter. The flowering process can be observed in cactus specimens that have crossed the five-year life milestone.
Many of the varieties of coryphants are self-pollinating. After that, large-sized fruits (berries) ripen. The shape of the fruit can be oblong or ovoid. They are painted in a greenish or yellow tint and are distinguished by the juiciness and fleshiness of the pulp. Ripening of Coryphantha fruits takes a long time, as they originate from the depths of the stem. The inside of the fruit contains seeds that are usually brown in color. Their surface is covered either with an almost imperceptible mesh or can be quite smooth, there is a thin shell with a scar (hilum) located in the central part or on the side, through which the seed is attached to the fetus.
The plant is of interest to collectors of cacti and it is rarely found among novice florists or those who have just got carried away with the cultivation of such species of flora. If you do not violate the requirements of cultivation, then the plant will be a worthy example of a "home garden".
Coryphant care, growing at home
- Lighting. The plant needs a lot of sun, so the pot is placed on the sill of the south window.
- Content temperature. Year-round heat indicators for growing coryphants are 24-28 degrees, but with the arrival of winter they are lowered to the range of 5-10 degrees and a dormant period begins for the cactus. Such drops will guarantee a long and lush flowering.
- Humidity and watering. The plant thrives on normal humidity levels corresponding to room conditions. Spraying the cactus is not required. Watering should be appropriate for the variety of plant being grown. If the species is deserted, then they rarely moisten the soil in a pot with it - over the summer period their number is 6-8 times. A natural variety growing in savannah will require more frequent watering. But in any case, the cactus must be protected from stagnation of moisture in the pot, otherwise the stem will become soft to the touch, and then root decay will begin. If the heat indices decrease in the winter months, then the humidification ceases.
- Fertilizers for a plant, it is recommended to apply from mid-spring to September once a month. Means for cacti are used, but it is better to focus on the type of Coryphantha, if it is noticed that it has begun to grow actively, then the drug is introduced. It is best to choose it in liquid form to be diluted with water for irrigation. The plant responds well to organic universal fertilizers, but in a low dosage.
- Transfer and selection of soil. Since the growth rate of a cactus is rather low, it is recommended to change the pot every 2 years, or even once every 3-4 years, the procedure is carried out in February or March. It is better to select pots with sufficient depth, since the plant will begin to weaken in a shallow container. It is recommended to put a drainage layer on the bottom of the new pot. The soil for Coryphantha can be purchased at the flower shop, choosing a substrate suitable for cacti and succulents. If the soil is prepared independently, then for the cacti of the desert regions, clay admixtures are introduced into its composition, but for varieties from the savannah regions, a porous soil is recommended. The composition of the soil mixture can be made as follows: clay soil, sod soil, charcoal, coarse sand, expanded clay in a ratio of 1: 1: 1/2: 1/2: 1/2.
Breeding rules for coryphants
To get a new cactus, it is recommended to sow seeds or root the shoots.
With seed reproduction, it is necessary to create conditions for germination of seeds in a mini-greenhouse, where moisture indicators will be constantly increased. Seeds are sown in February. On the surface of the substrate intended for cacti and succulents, on top of which a layer of coarse sand is poured, laid in a flat pot, the seed is distributed. The seeds should also be sprinkled with a little sand on top. It is necessary to moisten the soil with warm and soft water from a finely dispersed spray bottle. After that, the container with the crops is wrapped in plastic wrap or a piece of glass is placed on top.
Care is to ensure that the heat indicators are always in the range of 21-27 degrees. You can make holes in the film or air it daily. If the soil begins to dry out, then it is carefully sprayed. After a month, sprouts will appear, while the thermometer's indicators are reduced to 15-18 units. Young coryphants are transplanted only when they grow up and get stronger.
If a variety of cactus has the ability to form lateral shoots - children, then they can be separated and rooted. The time for such reproduction is in the spring and summer. The lateral process must be cut off with a sharpened knife. Then the workpiece is left to dry for 2-3 days. After the surface of the cut is covered with a film, then such a cutting is planted in a pot filled with soil for cacti. After watering, the container is placed in a shaded place. When caring for seedlings, it is recommended not to flood the substrate, it should always remain in a barely damp state. When young Coryphantha are established, they are cared for as adults.
Fight against possible pests and diseases coryphants
If the conditions for keeping a cactus are often violated, then it can be affected by harmful insects, among which the mealybug, spider mite and scale insect are "in the lead". It is recommended to spray with insecticidal and acaricidal agents. With a constant flooding of the soil, the plant is affected by rotting of the roots, which passes over time to the stem. Usually, at the same time, soft and brown spots appear on it, which spoil the decorative appearance of the coryphants. If the problem is noticed on time, then with an urgent transplant, during which the removal of damaged root processes and parts of the stem, treatment with fungicides and planting in a sterile substrate and a pot, then you can still save the cactus. After that, you should move it to a warm place, and limit watering.
When the stalk of the cactus began to bow to the side, then problems appear in the watering regime (it is too abundant or scarce), it is important to even out the moisture regime and the plant will recover.
Coryphantha can also wither due to the fact that it has been "attacked" by root felts. Here, too, a transplant with pre-treatment with fungicides is necessary.
Facts for the curious about the coryphant, cactus photo
For the first time, the varieties that are part of the genus Coryphant were isolated by the German botanist Ludwig Georg Karl Pfeiffer (1805-1877), who proposed creating a separate group of such plants, called Eumamillaria, which is part of the Conothele and Brachypetalae series. Charles Antoine Lemaire (1800-1871) proposed to create a new series from some species of these cacti, which would pass under the term Aulacothelae. Already in 1850, German botanist Josef Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck (1773–1861) isolated a number of species from the latter group, and this part was named Glanduliferae. But by 1853 Hermann Poselger, a well-known collector of cacti and part-time doctor from Berlin, included some specimens from both Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dick series in the genus Echinocactus.
On this, the transitions of the coryphants from genus to genus do not stop. By 1858, George Engelman (1809-1884), a botanist and mycologist from the United States decided to single out plants similar in characteristics to a subgroup with the name "Coryphantha", which he deduces from the genus Mammillaria, where the number of representatives is quite large. And already in 1868 the same Lemer raised a new subgroup of cacti to the level of an independent genus.
If we take the beginning of research on this issue on the plant, then botanical scientists could not come to a consensus regarding the boundaries of the specified genus Coryphantha. It has often been expanded to include some species from the genus Escobaria. But the international society dealing with the taxonomy of cacti decided to single out the latter genus as an independent one. At the same time, Cumarinia and Lepidocoryphantha are included in the genus Coryphants.
Types of coryphants
- Coryphantha elephantidens grows in Mexico. It has a spherical stem with a slight compression, which is 19 cm in diameter at a height of about 14 cm. The papillae are very wide, their parameters are 4 cm in length and no more than 6 cm in width. The plant also has 4 more a pair of yellow-colored radial spines that take on a brown tint over time. The length of the thorns is 2 cm. When blooming, buds with bright pink petals with a pinkish or red pharynx bloom. The maximum diameter of a flower does not exceed 10 cm.
- Coryphantha octacantha. The area of natural growth falls on the lands of Mexico, where grassy plains extend. In a cactus, the stem has a cylindrical shape, its width is no more than half a meter. Daughter processes usually appear at the base. The papillae measure 2.5 cm across. The stem bears 3-4 pairs of radial spines, yellow in color, the color of which turns brown towards the center. When blooming, the buds open up to 3 cm in diameter. The flower petals are bright yellow. The fruit has a pulp that can be eaten raw.
- Coryphantha radians. This cactus is not uncommon in the central regions of Mexico. The stem has a spherical shape, rich green color. Its diameter is no more than 7 cm. On the stem there are 12–20 spines of white or yellowish color, which are strongly pressed to the surface of the stem and diverge from it resembling rays, which gave the specific name to the plant. A single thorn can grow in the center, or it does not exist at all. The flowers bloom in yellow color, reaching 7 cm in maximum disclosure.
- Horned Coryphantha (Coryphantha cornifera). The stem of this plant is in the form of a ball, but sometimes it takes an elongated shape. Its maximum height is 12 cm. The color of the radial spines is yellowish, and the central ones are brown with black tops. The central spines are longer than the radial ones, and they also have a slight curvature. In length, the radials rarely reach 1 cm and their outlines are straight. In the process of flowering, buds are formed on the top of the stem, which open up to 5 cm in diameter. The petals in the flowers are bright yellow, they remain on the cactus for a long time without fading.
- Coryphantha durangensis. This plant is native to the territories of Mexico. The trunk of this cactus is oblong. The main stem originates from the root of turnip-like outlines. With time of maturation, the plant develops lateral processes. The color of the trunks has a slight bluish tint. The height of the stems is measured by 10 cm, with a diameter of about 20 cm. At the top there is a strong pubescence, which is the place where flowers of a bright canary yellow color are formed at the beginning of summer. The variety is distinguished by its ability to tolerate the lowering of the thermometer column below the zero mark.
- Coryphantha Ramillosa. Places of natural growth of the plant are in the Texas areas. This cactus is distinguished by the possession of only one stem, when the specimen becomes an adult, then its height does not exceed 9 cm with the same diameter indicators. When blooming in the upper part of the trunk, buds are formed, which, opening up, show petals of a pinkish-lilac color with a rich yellow center. The flowers reach about 6 cm in diameter. Flowering occurs in the last summer month. The plant can withstand even slight frosts without problems.
- Coryphantha palmeri has a spherical stem, painted in a light greenish color. The stem has yellowish spines with a black top. The flower reaches 3 cm in length, it is distinguished by bright yellow petals.
- Coryphantha erecta. It is a cactus with a cylindrical stem, tinted with a yellowish-green color. The papillae on its surface are measured by 1 cm. When the thorns only appear, their color is amber-yellow, but over time they change to a brown color. They do not exceed 1 cm in length. The petals in the flowers have a light yellow tone and in the opening the diameter of the flower is 5 cm.
