Melocactus axiniphorus (Cactus)

Pretty cactus extremely symmetrical, consisting of a globose stem of a beautiful emerald green opaque, slightly depressed at the apex. It is equipped with deep longitudinal ribs very regular, along which large areolas are roundish and fluffy. It has strong radial spines and needle-shaped cream, which are arranged in a radial pattern around the areola; the central spine is instead generally only one, facing outwards, longer and pleasantly shaded of red-brownish. At a certain age, when the cactus stops growing, at the apex of the plant develops a whitish spherical cephalium formed by bristles on the shades of red, from which bloom small flowers with thin petals. The cephalium will then tend to grow, not in diameter but only in height, assuming a characteristic cylindrical shape that also gives an idea of the age of the plant.