Notocactus leninghausiiGolden Ball Cactus

Young plants of Notocactus leninghausii are near-perfect spheres; with age they elongate into short columns and offset at the base to form a low cluster. The whole plant is covered in soft golden bristles that catch the light, which is where the Golden Ball Cactus name comes from.

It is a Brazilian species from rocky grassland, tolerant of more light and less heat than most collectable cacti, and it is as much at home in a bright interior as in a gravel bed.

Specifications

• Height0.6 to 1 metre at full size
• Width0.3 to 0.6 metres as a clustering group
• Native toSouthern Brazil
• FoliageLeafless; ribbed green stems densely covered in soft golden-yellow bristles and spines
• Growth rateSlow

Conditions

• SoilRequires sharply drained, gritty soil or an open cactus medium
• LightFull sun to bright indirect light; partial shade in extreme heat
• WaterVery low; water sparingly in the growing season and keep dry when cool
• ClimateThrives in arid and semi-arid conditions; sensitive to frost and to prolonged wet

Additional Features

• FlowersPale lemon-yellow flowers open at the stem apex on mature plants
• UsesGravel gardens, raised planters, rockeries, interior display and container collections
• SpacingPlant 0.3 to 0.4 metres apart to allow the cluster to develop
• Low MaintenanceNeeds no pruning; the only real requirement is restraint with the hose
• Pest ResistanceWatch for mealybug at the base of the ribs; otherwise untroubled
• Drought ToleranceFully drought adapted and damaged far more readily by excess water
• FormSpherical when young, becoming a short clustering column with age

The Golden Ball Cactus is a container and gravel-bed specimen, valued for the soft gold of its spination rather than for scale.