A. Caput Medusae (12 Seeds)
Freshly picked seeds. Sowing from seeds is such an inexpensive way to expand your Astrophytum Asterias collection.
Sowing Instruction INCLUDED!
Plant ID : Astrophytum Caput Medusae
Seed Pack Quantity : 12 Seeds
Description (Source from http://www.llifle.com)
Origin and Habitat: Mexico, Nuevo León (locality withheld) and may be in El Herrero, Tamaulipas.Altitude range: This species occurs at elevations of 100 to 200 metres above sea level.Habitat: This species grows among shrubs in the Matorral espinoso tamaulipeco (Tamaulipan thornscrub land) in shaded position. It is known from only one site, and within its very limited range it is reportedly abundant. The species is considered Critically Endangered due to its very limited distribution (<100 km²), occurrence in a single location and rapid and ongoing decline due to illegal over collecting and trampling by livestock.
Description: Solitary or rarely clustered up to 19 of eight.
Stem: Very reduced, shortly cylindrical, lacking ribs, with papyraceous bristles covering the collar and the stem apex, the bristles probably originate from the basal rest of the tubercles, the colour of the bristles of tubercles is coffee whit reddish tones, the stem bristle of plants growing in habitat rarely exceed the ground level.
Tubercles: Cylindrical or occasionally triangular when young, of cartilaginous consistency, smooth, could appear similar in aspect to leaves, up to 190 mm in length and of 2 to 5 mm wide, some times the adaxial portion of the base of the tubercle is cuneate. Epidermis verrucose, glaucous-green, covered by stigmas (squamiform peltate trichomes) of a greyish-white colour, covering almost the totality of the epidermis towards the base of the the tubercle.
Areoles: Dimorphic; the spiniferous one are terminals, circular or elliptical, with white wool; the floriferous one are located in the adaxial subterminal portion, separated from the spiniferous from 18 to 46 mm elliptical, with white wool, but noticeably larger than the spiniferous areoles.
Spines: 0 up to 4, generally persisting in old tubercles, of 1 to 3 mm in length, semi-erect, rigid, the base is whitish with a dark-coffee apex.
Roots: Primary root fusiform, fleshy; secondary roots fibrous. The root is of the same dimension or slightly smaller of the aerial part.
Flowers: Originates in the subterminal portion of the developing tubercles, not in the plant apex. The flowers are diurnal, yellow, with the base of the inner perianth segments orange coloured. Outer segments greenish yellow, The receptacular tube displays papyraceous, lanceolate scales, with terminal aristae and short white hairs in the axil; Lanceolate scales with white hairs in the axil are also presents in the pericarpel.
Fruit: Green and fleshy when young, covered with lanceolate scales with wool in the axil, dry when ripe with irregular longitudinal dehiscence.
Seeds: Big, up to 3 mm in length, cap-like, testa tuberculate , black or dark coffee coloured; hilum basal and very deep, micropyle, outside the hilum, but adjacent.
Freshly picked seeds. Sowing from seeds is such an inexpensive way to expand your Astrophytum Asterias collection.
Sowing Instruction INCLUDED!
Plant ID : Astrophytum Caput Medusae
Seed Pack Quantity : 12 Seeds
Description (Source from http://www.llifle.com)
Origin and Habitat: Mexico, Nuevo León (locality withheld) and may be in El Herrero, Tamaulipas.Altitude range: This species occurs at elevations of 100 to 200 metres above sea level.Habitat: This species grows among shrubs in the Matorral espinoso tamaulipeco (Tamaulipan thornscrub land) in shaded position. It is known from only one site, and within its very limited range it is reportedly abundant. The species is considered Critically Endangered due to its very limited distribution (<100 km²), occurrence in a single location and rapid and ongoing decline due to illegal over collecting and trampling by livestock.
Description: Solitary or rarely clustered up to 19 of eight.
Stem: Very reduced, shortly cylindrical, lacking ribs, with papyraceous bristles covering the collar and the stem apex, the bristles probably originate from the basal rest of the tubercles, the colour of the bristles of tubercles is coffee whit reddish tones, the stem bristle of plants growing in habitat rarely exceed the ground level.
Tubercles: Cylindrical or occasionally triangular when young, of cartilaginous consistency, smooth, could appear similar in aspect to leaves, up to 190 mm in length and of 2 to 5 mm wide, some times the adaxial portion of the base of the tubercle is cuneate. Epidermis verrucose, glaucous-green, covered by stigmas (squamiform peltate trichomes) of a greyish-white colour, covering almost the totality of the epidermis towards the base of the the tubercle.
Areoles: Dimorphic; the spiniferous one are terminals, circular or elliptical, with white wool; the floriferous one are located in the adaxial subterminal portion, separated from the spiniferous from 18 to 46 mm elliptical, with white wool, but noticeably larger than the spiniferous areoles.
Spines: 0 up to 4, generally persisting in old tubercles, of 1 to 3 mm in length, semi-erect, rigid, the base is whitish with a dark-coffee apex.
Roots: Primary root fusiform, fleshy; secondary roots fibrous. The root is of the same dimension or slightly smaller of the aerial part.
Flowers: Originates in the subterminal portion of the developing tubercles, not in the plant apex. The flowers are diurnal, yellow, with the base of the inner perianth segments orange coloured. Outer segments greenish yellow, The receptacular tube displays papyraceous, lanceolate scales, with terminal aristae and short white hairs in the axil; Lanceolate scales with white hairs in the axil are also presents in the pericarpel.
Fruit: Green and fleshy when young, covered with lanceolate scales with wool in the axil, dry when ripe with irregular longitudinal dehiscence.
Seeds: Big, up to 3 mm in length, cap-like, testa tuberculate , black or dark coffee coloured; hilum basal and very deep, micropyle, outside the hilum, but adjacent.
Freshly picked seeds. Sowing from seeds is such an inexpensive way to expand your Astrophytum Asterias collection.
Sowing Instruction INCLUDED!
Plant ID : Astrophytum Caput Medusae
Seed Pack Quantity : 12 Seeds
Description (Source from http://www.llifle.com)
Origin and Habitat: Mexico, Nuevo León (locality withheld) and may be in El Herrero, Tamaulipas.Altitude range: This species occurs at elevations of 100 to 200 metres above sea level.Habitat: This species grows among shrubs in the Matorral espinoso tamaulipeco (Tamaulipan thornscrub land) in shaded position. It is known from only one site, and within its very limited range it is reportedly abundant. The species is considered Critically Endangered due to its very limited distribution (<100 km²), occurrence in a single location and rapid and ongoing decline due to illegal over collecting and trampling by livestock.
Description: Solitary or rarely clustered up to 19 of eight.
Stem: Very reduced, shortly cylindrical, lacking ribs, with papyraceous bristles covering the collar and the stem apex, the bristles probably originate from the basal rest of the tubercles, the colour of the bristles of tubercles is coffee whit reddish tones, the stem bristle of plants growing in habitat rarely exceed the ground level.
Tubercles: Cylindrical or occasionally triangular when young, of cartilaginous consistency, smooth, could appear similar in aspect to leaves, up to 190 mm in length and of 2 to 5 mm wide, some times the adaxial portion of the base of the tubercle is cuneate. Epidermis verrucose, glaucous-green, covered by stigmas (squamiform peltate trichomes) of a greyish-white colour, covering almost the totality of the epidermis towards the base of the the tubercle.
Areoles: Dimorphic; the spiniferous one are terminals, circular or elliptical, with white wool; the floriferous one are located in the adaxial subterminal portion, separated from the spiniferous from 18 to 46 mm elliptical, with white wool, but noticeably larger than the spiniferous areoles.
Spines: 0 up to 4, generally persisting in old tubercles, of 1 to 3 mm in length, semi-erect, rigid, the base is whitish with a dark-coffee apex.
Roots: Primary root fusiform, fleshy; secondary roots fibrous. The root is of the same dimension or slightly smaller of the aerial part.
Flowers: Originates in the subterminal portion of the developing tubercles, not in the plant apex. The flowers are diurnal, yellow, with the base of the inner perianth segments orange coloured. Outer segments greenish yellow, The receptacular tube displays papyraceous, lanceolate scales, with terminal aristae and short white hairs in the axil; Lanceolate scales with white hairs in the axil are also presents in the pericarpel.
Fruit: Green and fleshy when young, covered with lanceolate scales with wool in the axil, dry when ripe with irregular longitudinal dehiscence.
Seeds: Big, up to 3 mm in length, cap-like, testa tuberculate , black or dark coffee coloured; hilum basal and very deep, micropyle, outside the hilum, but adjacent.
There are several ways on how to grow Cacti from seeds, in this tutorial I will share the method of growing cacti from seeds using the Baggy Method. When done correctly we find that this method is very effective.
Materials Needed:
Seeds
Pot & containers – clean and sterilized (Save substrate by using smaller pots)
Plastic bags – resealable bags (quart size)
Label & Markers
Water & Spray Bottle
SUBSTRATE/ SOIL MEDIUM
There is no perfect soil for sowing cactus seeds, you can use any soil medium available to you as long as it can hold moisture without being too compact at the same time. Ideal soil for us is a mixture of 60%-80% organic material such as sifted topsoil/garden soil, peat moss, coco coir mix with 20%-40% inorganic material such as coarse grain sand, perlite, pumice, turface mvp, akadama, granulated calclined clay, fine gravel.
SOWING
Proceed to fill the pot with soil and moist the substrate. Once the soil is moist, try to sprinkle the seeds evenly in the substrate, you do not need to bury the seeds. Place the pot with seeds in the plastic bag and spray with water before sealing the bag completely air tight.
Choose a warm spot with right shade for your cactus seeds. Do not expose the bag to direct sun. Refrain from opening the bag for at least 4months unless necessary. Keeping them inside the bag will provide the necessary level of humidity and heat that seeds require in order to germinate. The bag will also help maintain a sterile growing environment for the cacti. Seeds will start germinating as early as few days to few weeks depending on the type of cactus you are sowing.
We find that the seeds germinate faster when the temperature is between 75-85 Fahrenheit. While it is convenient to sow cacti seeds during spring and summer you may sow cacti seeds anytime of the year if you are able to provide the ideal temperature & light, you may grow them indoors in the heated room under a grow light and heat mat during the cold winter months.
HAPPY GROWING!