Melocactus salvadorensis (Cactus)

Beautiful cactaceae with a globose body, slightly flattened at the apex and with wide and regular ribs, deeply grooved. There are present roundish and clear areolas, from which long and robust radial spines protrude. They’re arranged radially and bent towards the body of the plant. From the areoles grow also central spines that reach even 5 cm of length, moving outwards and taking on brownish hues when young. While the plant grows, they become opaque and pinstriped. When M. salvadores reaches maturity and stops to grow in size, at the apex it develops a cephalium, characteristic of the whole genus Melocactus, formed by orange-reddish bristles that contrast pleasantly with the opaque glaucous green colour of the stem. This cephalium will continue to grow in height assuming cylindrical shape and giving the cactus a truly unique and spectacular appearance. It’s further adorned all around by small but graceful magenta flowers, perfectly matching with the characteristic club-shaped fruits.