Ariocarpus fissuratus / 10 seeds (False Peyote, Living Rock Cactus)

Ariocarpus fissuratus is a species of cactus occurring in small numbers in Texas, United States and northern Mexico where it grows in dry limestone ridges, and low, rocky hills of limestone chips at an elevation of 500-1500 m among the Chihuahuan desert scrub.

Due to a unique structure of several small fleshy closely packed tubercles emerging from a large, fleshy, turnip-like taproot forming a star-shaped rosette and also because of conspicuous pink flowers, this plant looks exclusively beautiful. It is typically solitary, but sometimes grows side shoots from old areoles. It doesn’t have spines and lie virtually flat on the ground. Upper ends of tubercles are deeply fissured on either side of the central areolar groove and are coarsely rugose and often sharply angled apically, and with a lateral longitudinal furrow on each side of the tubercle along the edge. The areoles are around 3mm wide, sometimes shoot from old areoles and grow extremely slowly. As such, the plant is greyish-green in color but sometimes with age takes on a yellowish hue.

The appearance of Ariocarpus fissuratus is such that it can easily camouflage against the soil surface resembling limestone chips in shape, color and texture in its habitat. However, when it blooms in October to early November, the beautiful pink flowers reveal their existence. The bright pink lowers emerge from the woolly crown of the plant and are up to 2.5-5 cm in diameter, twice wider than long when fully expanded. They last for 3 to 4 days. Fruits are green or white with a lot of seeds.

Ariocarpus fissuratus is extremely low maintenance as it needs very little water and fertilizer. However, it needs a good amount of light and loose, sandy, well-draining soil.

You should water Ariocarpus fissuratus once a week during the summertime and if the weather is sunny enough, with a little fertilizer added. Also, ensure the soil is completely dry between waterings. This way, the plant will show a healthy but slow growth. Keep the conditions dry as soon as temperatures start dropping in October and keep it totally dry in winter at temperatures from 5- to 15-degrees C. winter is the dormancy period of Ariocarpus fissuratus.

Ariocarpus fissuratus is frost hardy to -10-degree C.

During the times of severe drought, the entire above-ground portion of Ariocarpus fissuratus can shrink and be covered by rock fragments, with only the taproot remaining alive below the ground. Many of these plants exist as only small, isolated populations, and are endangered as they are highly sought after by collectors. Therefore, this plant is protected in its regions of origin.

Ariocarpus fissuratus is facing a serious threat of extinction due to illegal poaching done mainly for collectors in Europe and Asia. The chances of future survival of this cactus have highly declined due to loss of a wide range of genetic variations.

As such, Ariocarpus fissurtus is free from pests and diseases, but is susceptible to stem and root mealy bugs and fungal attacks caused due to the damage done by these pests.

Propagation of Ariocarpus fissuratus can be done through seeds, but you should remember that seedlings don’t like strong light and dry conditions. They also need to be repotted often. Eventually when they mature and reach a maximum size of 25 to 27 cm, they tend to become senile, succumb to diseases and a weakened root system, and may die suddenly. Hence, after they reach 20 cm in diameter, grow them slowly and adopt a new repotting policy, with an interval of 2-3 years. Also, grow them under drier conditions or with stronger sunlight. Since these plants take almost a decade to reach maturity on their own, they are generally grafted to speed up the growth. But the grafted plants are typically tall-growing, compared to plants growing on their own roots that usually flatter to the ground. The pots used should be deep enough to accommodate the napiform unit formed by the stem base and rootstock (or the pot may simply be cracked).