seeds of Aztekium riterii

Aztekium ritteri, also called Echinocactus ritteri Boed, is one-third of the trio of species that make up the genus Aztekium. It was initially believed that Aztekium ritteri was a monotypic species but that all changed once the other two species were discovered. The two species in question are Aztekium hintonii and Aztekium valdesii. The three species have their origins in an area called Nuevo Leon in Mexico. In addition to being the native home of this cactus species, Nuevo Leon also doubles as being the only place in the planet on which it grows. Aztekium ritteri is miniature-sized with a width that doesn’t surpass 20mm. The plant has ribs that number from 9 to 11. The ribs all have transverse wrinkles. Aztekium ritteri has plenty of wool at its central core and a grey-green to pale-green colour on its exterior surface. The beautiful flowers borne by the plant are small and have a width of not more than 10 mm. The corolla of the plant is a white while the calyx has a pinkish colour. This very pinkish hue is the same one adopted by the small fruit which sprout later on. Aztekium ritteri is mostly used as an ornamental. All the species of genus Aztekium are notoriously slow growers which makes them quite difficult to cultivate. A growth of 3 mm will require over 2 years to occur. There have also been fears regarding Aztekium ritteri being an endangered plant species given its only located in Nuevo Leon. Nevertheless, the fact that it grows in millions within that one location has been an encouraging sign. Aztekium ritteri requires moist soils with good drainage in order to grow effectively. One should, however, refrain from drenching the soils with too much water. The excess water content in the soil will only lead to the roots getting rotten.