Normally A. asterias seedling have the standard 8 ribs, while only a small number of them have few or more ribs. The form with only five ribs, is particularly rare because many of the 5 ribbed seedlings that occasionally appear will usually develop additional ribs in a few years as they age. So it is quite exceptional to see an old A. asterias with five stable ribs. This form however looks suspiciously hybridized with myriostigma or coahuilense and probably is not a pure 100% asterias.
Origin and Habitat
Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)
Cultivation and Propagation
is not too difficult in a greenhouse, although they grow quite slowly. The plants need a loose well-drained mineral soil. They need a good amount of light. Watering can be done weekly during the summertime, if the weather is sunny enough, with a little fertilizer added. Kept this way, plants will show a healthy, although slow growth. They are frost hardy to -4° (-10°) C
