It consists of 9 or 11 wide ribs with 5 to 7 radial spines that are light gray in color. It produces magenta, orange, purple-red, or white flowers that are about 1.5 inches or 4 to 6 cm in diameter. This plant flowers freely in the spring and summer months.
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Scientific name
Gymnocalycium baldianum (Speg.) Speg.
Common names
Dwarf Chin Cactus, Dwarf Chin Cactus, Chin Cactus
Synonyms
Echinocactus baldianus (basionym), Echinocactus sanguiniflorus, Gymnocalycium venturianum, Gymnocalycium platense var. baldianum, Gymnocalycium sanguiniflorum
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Trichocereeae
Genre: Gymnocalycium
Origin
A native of Argentina (Catamarca Province).
How to grow and care
Some Gymnocalycium seek shade in nature, between bushes or grasses, while others grow completely exposed to the sun. Therefore, some will need some shade from the sun in the hottest months, but exaggerating this will result in the loss of flowers.
The balance of the culture medium should be sufficient to allow good drainage, so that the plants do not sit on a soaked soil for more than a day or two after watering.
Irrigation in the summer months, while the plants grow well, can be frequent (weekly for small plants in small pots), but always allowing the compost or soil to dry almost before watering again. Watering in the winter months is imprudent, and certainly not necessary. The difficult times are spring and autumn.
Those species that produce compensations can easily be propagated by cuttings. Gymnocalycium seed germinates well when it is fresh, and will be kept for a few years if stored in cold conditions.
