Escobaria cubensis

Escobaria cubensis is a very rare plant and appreciated by collectors, so called in reference to Cuba, where it was discovered casually the first specimen by the spouses Britton. In the wild, this species grows mostly on rocky soils, where it camouflages very easily in order not to fall prey to animals. E. cubensis is formed by very protruding conical tubercles of various sizes from which, mainly in the upper part of the body, small and thin whitish spines emerge. Its roots, on the contrary, are much more developed: in the warmer and hotter periods, this cactus tends to contract and almost to disappear under the ground like a defence, and then to re-emerge with the spring rains, giving us its graceful diurnal yellow flower. It has an extremely slow growth, which is why in the wild it is also rather rare to find it and often the cultivators, in order to favor its development, tend to graft it.