Publication: Taschenb. Cactuslieb. 2: 124 (1844); et: Abbild. Beschr. Cact. 2: sub t. 1. 1845
Description
Gymnocalycium gibbosum is a small solitary cactus. It is a quite variable species. This polymorphism has led some authors to describe a lot of unnecessary varieties.
Stem: Deep glaucous-green, olive green, brown to grey-black, discoidal that became elonged with time 10-25 cm tall, up to 12 cm in diameter, the apex is slightly woolly.
Ribs: 10-16 straight, divided in well distinct angular ribs.
Areoles: Whitish-grey, elonged.
Radial spines: 5-7 (-9) 20-25 mm long slightly bent against the plants body, clear brown with a darker base when young, becoming whitish-grey with a black base as they age.
Central spines: 0-2 very similar to the radials.
Flowers: Infundibuliform in the nearest periphery just around the apex 45-60 mm long, 60-65 in diameter. Tepals ivory white with a brownish mid rib or occasionally reddish, throat greenish with a basal reddish area. Style white-greenish, stigma white. Anthers cream coloured.
Fruits: Globate or fusiform, 20-40 mm long green with white bordered scales.
Remarks: Seems to be a pretty variable plant you might get some other names which are effectively the same plant… and also not sure all plants identified as this are really this.
Origin and Habitat
This species is widely distributed in the mountains of Argentina from the south of the Buenos Aires province to Patagonia (Chubut, La Pampa, Mendoza, Río Negro, Santa Cruz and San Luis) and show a great variability in morphological traits.
Altitude: 0 to 1,000 meters above sea level.
Habitat and Ecology: The species grows on sandy or gravelly alluvial soil along the Río Negro and Río Colorado, where it grows under bushes and other plants in monte shrubland and patagonian steppe (estepa patagónica). It has a wide range, is abundant and there are no major threats.
Cultivation and Propagation
Gymnocalycium gibbosum is a summer grower species that is easy to cultivate.
Growth rate: It is a relatively rapidly growing and easily flowering species that will make clumps given the best conditions.
Soils: It likes very porous standard cactus mix soil. Prefer a low pH compost, avoid substrata rich in limestone; otherwise growth will stop altogether.
Repotting: This plant needs plenty of space for its roots, repotting should be done every other year or when the it has outgrown its pot. Use pot with good drainage.
Watering: Needs moderate to copious waterings in summer, but do not overwater (Rot prone), keep dry in winter at a minimum temperature of 0°C.
Fertilization: Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer.
Hardiness: Reputedly resistant to frost if kept on the dry side prior to, and during, cold weather (hardy to -12 C ° C, or less for short periods), but for safe cultivation it is best to avoid freezing temperatures.
Exposition: The plant tolerates extremely bright situations but enjoys filtered sunlight or afternoon shade, inside it needs bright light, and some direct sun. Tends to bronze in strong light, which encourages flowering and heavy spine production, but is likely to suffer from sun scorch or stunted growth if over exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day in summer.
Uses: It is an excellent plant for container growing. It always looks good and stays small. It look fine in a cold greenhouse and frame or outdoor in a rockery.
Pests & diseases: It may be attractive to a variety of insects, but plants in good condition should be nearly pest-free, particularly if they are grown in a mineral potting-mix, with good exposure and ventilation. Nonetheless, there are several pests to watch for:
- Red spiders: Red spiders may be effectively rubbed up by watering the plants from above.
- Mealy bugs: Mealy bugs occasionally develop aerial into the new growth among the wool with disfiguring results, but the worst types develop underground on the roots and are invisible except by their effects.
- Scales: Scales are rarely a problem.
- Rot: This species is particularly easy and accommodating, seldom suffer of cryptogamic diseases. Rot it is only a minor problem with gymnocalyciums if the plants are watered and “aired” correctly. If they are not, fungicides won’t help all that much.
Propagation: Division, direct sow after last frost. Seeds germinate in 7-14 days at 21-27° C in spring, remove gradually the glass cover as soon the plants will be well rooted (ca 1-2 weeks) and keep ventilated, no full sun for young plants! To make a cutting twist off a branch and permit it to dry out a couple of weeks, lay it on the soil and insert the stem end partially into the soil. Try to keep the cutting somewhat upright so that the roots are able to grow downward.
Notes
Gymnocalycium gibbosum is the type species of the genus Gymnocalycium
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures
-
Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
-
James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
-
David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. “The New Cactus Lexicon” dh books, 2006
-
N. L. Britton, J. N. Rose “The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family.” Volume 4, The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1923
-
Curt Backeberg “Die Cactaceae: Handbuch der Kakteenkunde” Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart New York 1982–1985
-
Demaio, P. & Trevisson, M. 2013. Gymnocalycium gibbosum. In: IUCN 2013. “IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” Version 2013.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 03 January 2014.
From llifle page Echinocactus gibbosus var. chubutensis
Description
Gymnocalycium gibbosum var. chubutense is one of the several forms of the very variable Gymnocalycium gibbosum which form a complex of related taxon. It is still unclear whether this variable complex is one or several species. There is so much variation that most authors choose to lump them together. The variety “chubutense” distingushes for the unusual dark green to nearly black stem and for the cream-white or pinkish flowers.
Gymnocalycium gibbosum:
Stem: Flattened-globose to elongate, grey-green, purplish-brown to nearly black up to 9 cm in diameter and 10 cm height.
Roots: Semi-tuberose and branched.
Ribs: 9 to 16 vertical with rounded or rarely square chin like projections. Tubercles about 8 mm high, 15 mm wide.
Areoles: slightly recessed, about 20 mm apart, oval, up to 5 mm long and up to 3 mm wide, covered with yellowish-grey felt.
Radial spines: Usually 5 (but occasionally up to 9) flexible to stiff, straight (rarely twisted or bent), radiating more or less diagonally and up to 5 cm. long. One of them is directed downward, and often longer than the other. The spines are very variable in colour, whitish, yellowish at the base and dark grey to brown at the apex but turning grey as they age.
Central spines: Absent.
Flower: Funnel-shaped, laterally near the apex, white to pale violet-pink with a pink-coloured throat up to 4,5 cm. long and 5 cm in diameter. Outer tepals to 20 mm long and 5 mm wide, broadly lanceolate, brownish-coloured, inner tepals 26 mm long and 6 mm wide, lanceolate, sharp-pointed white to bright white, all pink-based. Floral tube dark grey-green to violet brown, covered with numerous small, widely rounded scales. Filament whitish to yellowish, anthers yellow, oval. Pistil (without stigmas) about 12 mm long greenish-yellowish above, with 10 to 13 pale yellow stigma lobes. Nectar chamber widely funnel-shaped, yellowish-pink.
Fruit: Spindle-shaped to barrel-shaped, bluish to whitish (resembles the plant body, but considerably darker) up to 1,5 cm in diameter. Dehiscing on the side lengthwise, pulp is whitish and rather dry.
Seeds: 0,9 to 1,1 mm long and equally broad, ovate, black.
Origin and Habitat
Chubut, Península Valdés, Argentina.
Altitude: 10-450 metres above sea level.
Habitat: It grows among scrubs and stones. Península Valdés has a semi-arid climate characterized by an annual rainfall of 240 millimetres (mm) with significant fluctuations between years and features a peculiar climate because of the effect created by the Atlantic Ocean. During winter there are heavy snows and frosts can occur throughout the year; spring and autumn provide only short transitions between summer and winter. Although it does not rain much in the region on an annual basis, summers are usually mild, and the temperature sometimes gets very hot. The area does get very windy at times. The area of the Peninsula Valdes harbour an interesting succulent flora comprising Austrocactus patagonicus, Maihuenia patagonica and Tephrocactus darwinii.
Cultivation and Propagation
Gymnocalycium gibbosum is a summer grower species that is easy to cultivate.
Growth rate: It is a relatively rapidly growing and easily flowering species that will make clumps given the best conditions.
Soils: It likes very porous standard cactus mix soil. Prefer a low pH compost, avoid substrata rich in limestone; otherwise growth will stop altogether.
Repotting: This plant needs plenty of space for its roots, repotting should be done every other year or when the it has outgrown its pot. Use pot with good drainage.
Watering: Needs moderate to copious waterings in summer, but do not overwater (Rot prone), keep dry in winter at a minimum temperature of 0°C.
Fertilization: Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer.
Hardiness: Reputedly resistant to frost if kept on the dry side prior to, and during, cold weather (hardy to -12 C ° C, or less for short periods), but for safe cultivation it is best to avoid freezing temperatures.
Exposition: The plant tolerates extremely bright situations but enjoys filtered sunlight or afternoon shade, inside it needs bright light, and some direct sun. Tends to bronze in strong light, which encourages flowering and heavy spine production, but is likely to suffer from sun scorch or stunted growth if over exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day in summer.
Uses: It is an excellent plant for container growing. It always looks good and stays small. It look fine in a cold greenhouse and frame or outdoor in a rockery.
Pests & diseases: It may be attractive to a variety of insects, but plants in good condition should be nearly pest-free, particularly if they are grown in a mineral potting-mix, with good exposure and ventilation. Nonetheless, there are several pests to watch for:
- Red spiders: Red spiders may be effectively rubbed up by watering the plants from above.
- Mealy bugs: Mealy bugs occasionally develop aerial into the new growth among the wool with disfiguring results, but the worst types develop underground on the roots and are invisible except by their effects.
- Scales: Scales are rarely a problem.
- Rot: This species is particularly easy and accommodating, seldom suffer of cryptogamic diseases. Rot it is only a minor problem with gymnocalyciums if the plants are watered and “aired” correctly. If they are not, fungicides won’t help all that much.
Propagation: Seeds (It don’t produces offsets). Seeds germinate in 7-14 days at 21-27° C in spring, remove gradually the glass cover as soon the plants will be well rooted (ca 1-2 weeks) and keep ventilated, no full sun for young plants!
Seed Collecting: Permit fruit to ripen, fruit must be significantly overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seeds.
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures
-
Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
-
James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
-
David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. “The New Cactus Lexicon” dh books, 2006
-
N. L. Britton, J. N. Rose “The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family.” Volume 4, The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1923
-
Curt Backeberg “Die Cactaceae: Handbuch der Kakteenkunde” Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart New York 1982–1985
Source: Echinocactus gibbosus var. chubutensis, LLIFLE - Encyclopedia of living forms, CC-BY-SA, retrieved 2026-10-25.
From llifle page Cactus nobilis
Description
Gymnocalycium gibbosum var. nobile is a local or morphological form of the very variable and widely spread Gymnocalycium gibbosum characterized by strong, more numerous, longer, overlapping, white yellow spines; it is usually larger than the typical gibbosum.
Stem: Deep olive-green to almost black, flat to almost spherical, 3-5(-10) cm tall, up to 12 cm in diameter, the apex is slightly woolly.
Ribs: 10-16 straight, divided in well distinct, angular ribs.
Areoles: Whitish-grey, elongated.
Radial spines: 7-10 (-12) 25-35 mm, strong, long, erect, overlapping, pastel-white (but also yellow or black), with a darker (reddish or brownish) base when young, that becomes whitish-grey as they age.
Central spines: 0-2 very similar to the radials.
Flowers: Infundibuliform in the nearest periphery just around the apex, 45-60 mm long, 60-65 in diameter. Tepals ivory white with a brownish mid rib or occasionally reddish.
Blooming season: Will flower without a distinct resting period.
Fruits: Globose or fusiform, 20-40 mm long green with white bordered scale.
Origin and Habitat
This species is distributed in the mountains of Argentina of up to Patagonia .
Cultivation and Propagation
Gymnocalycium gibbosum var. nobile is a summer grower species that is easy to cultivate.
Growth rate: It is a relatively rapidly growing and easily flowering species that will make clumps given the best conditions.
Soils: It likes very porous standard cactus mix soil. Prefer a low pH compost, avoid substrata rich in limestone; otherwise growth will stop altogether.
Repotting: This plant needs plenty of space for its roots, repotting should be done every other year or when the it has outgrown its pot. Use pot with good drainage.
Watering: During cold weather periods keep rather dry, but it can handle excessive water to little water, keep dry in winter at a minimum temperature of 0°C. Make sure that soil gets the chance to dry out in between waterings.
Fertilization: Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer.
Frost Tolerance: Reputedly resistant to frost if kept on the dry side prior to, and during, cold weather (Hardy down to -12° to -32° C), but for safe cultivation it is best to avoid severe freezing temperatures.
Exposition: The plant tolerates extremely bright situations but enjoys filtered sunlight or afternoon shade, inside it needs bright light, and some direct sun. Tends to bronze in strong light, which encourages flowering and heavy spine production, but is likely to suffer from sun scorch or stunted growth if over exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day in summer.
Uses: It is an excellent plant for container growing. It always looks good and stays small. It look fine in a cold greenhouse and frame or outdoor in a rockery.
Pests & diseases: It may be attractive to a variety of insects, but plants in good condition should be nearly pest-free, particularly if they are grown in a mineral potting-mix, with good exposure and ventilation. Nonetheless, there are several pests to watch for:
- Red spiders: Red spiders may be effectively rubbed up by watering the plants from above.
- Mealy bugs: Mealy bugs occasionally develop aerial into the new growth among the wool with disfiguring results, but the worst types develop underground on the roots and are invisible except by their effects.
- Scales: Scales are rarely a problem.
- Rot: This species is particularly easy and accommodating, seldom suffer of cryptogamic diseases. Rot it is only a minor problem with gymnocalyciums if the plants are watered and “aired” correctly. If they are not, fungicides won’t help all that much.
Propagation: Mainly through seeds. Seeds germinate in 7-14 days at 21-27° C in spring, remove gradually the glass cover as soon the plants will be well rooted (ca 1-2 weeks) and keep ventilated, no full sun for young plants!
Seed Collecting: Permit fruit to ripen, fruit must be significantly overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seeds.
Source: Cactus nobilis, LLIFLE - Encyclopedia of living forms, CC-BY-SA, retrieved 2026-10-25.
From llifle page Echinocactus brachypetalus
Description
Gymnocalycium gibbosum var. brachypetalum is one of the several forms of the very variable Gymnocalycium gibbosum which form a complex of related taxon. It is still unclear whether this variable complex is one or several species. There is so much variation that most authors choose to lump them together. The variety “brachypetalum” distingushes for the unusual dark grey-green to nearly black stem and for the large white flowers.
Gymnocactus gibbosum is a low growing solitary cactus widely distributed in the mountains of Argentina from the south of the Buenos Aires province to Patagonia and show a great variability in morphological traits.
Stem: Deep glaucous-green to grey-black, discoidal that became elonged with time 10-25 cm tall, up to 12 cm in diameter, the apex is slightly woolly.
Ribs: 10-16 straight, divided in well distinct angular ribs.
Areoles: Whitish-grey, elonged.
Radial spines: 5-7 20-35 mm long slightly bent against the plants body, clear brown with a darker base when young, that became whitish-grey with a black base as they age.
Central spines: 0-2 very similar to the radials.
Flowers: Infundibuliform in the nearest periphery just around the apex 45-60 mm long, 60-65 in diameter. Tepals ivory white with a brownish mid rib or occasionally reddish, throat greenish with a basal reddish area. Style white-greenish, stigma white. Anthers cream coloured.
Fruits: Globate or fusiform, 20-40 mm long green with white bordered scales.
Remarks: It seems to be a pretty variable plant you might get some other names which are effectively the same plant… and also not sure all plants identified as this are really this.
Origin and Habitat
La Pampa and Río Negro Argentina
Type locality: Ruta 2, 30 km north of San Antonio de Oeste, Barrancas del Gualichos, Río Negro (Argentina)
Altitude: 50-400 metres above soil level.
Habitat: It grows among scrubs and stones in a semi-arid area characterized by an annual rainfall of 250 millimetres (mm) with significant fluctuations between years. During winter there are heavy snows and frosts can occur throughout the year; spring and autumn provide only short transitions between summer and winter. Although it does not rain much in the region on an annual basis, summers are usually mild, and the temperature sometimes gets very hot. The area does get very windy at times.
Source: Echinocactus brachypetalus, LLIFLE - Encyclopedia of living forms, CC-BY-SA, retrieved 2026-10-25.
Cultivars and forms (13)
Subspecies (6)
Varieties (5)
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