Melocactus diamantinus f. variegata

Solitary cactaceae with a bright green body equipped with deep longitudinal ribs well marked, on which there are large and wooly areoles with reddish spines, very long, thin and straight, which stretch even more at the apex. Just this peculiarity of the spines much longer than the other varieties makes this Melocactus deeply appreciated. The variegated shape presents the typical lighter areas in the exact points where the chlorophyll is absent: these characteristics will never be the same from one plant to another, therefore each exemplar will be absolutely unique! 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 magenta 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.