x Chamaelobivia Paolinae - Cactus

×Chamaelobivia ‘Paolinae’ is a miniature hybrid cactus that still has generous flowering. As soon as the days turn warm, its stems are crowned with large fuchsia pink flowers that open wide and renew themselves for several weeks. It thrives on a very bright windowsill, in a conservatory, and enjoys spending the summer outdoors, sheltered from rain. It is an easy-going collector's plant as long as it has sufficient light and a cool winter rest.

Belonging to the Cactaceae family, ×Chamaelobivia ‘Paolinae’ is a horticultural hybrid obtained from lineages close to Chamaecereus and Lobivia, now most often united in the genus Echinopsis. It is therefore not a botanical species found in nature, but a cultivar selected for its generous flowering and very compact size. One of its most frequently cited parents is Echinopsis chamaecereus (syn. Chamaecereus silvestrii), sometimes called gherkin cactus or peanut cactus. Many hybrids called Chamaelobivia are in fact Echinopsis hybrids. The main parent (Echinopsis chamaecereus) comes mainly from northwest Argentina (Tucumán province), where it grows in dry mountainous areas between 1200 and 2000 m altitude.
The plant forms a clump of cylindrical, bright green, ribbed stems, initially upright, which arch with age. Its whitish areoles are very close together, densely bearing small, short thorns. Its growth is rather slow; the plant regularly produces offshoots at the base. In a pot, it reaches 10 to 15 cm in height and 25 to 30 cm in spread at maturity. Its main appeal lies in its flowering from April to June: large funnel-shaped flowers 5 to 7 cm, in a very bright fuchsia pink to reddish pink, opening in abundance on stems well exposed to light. Be careful of its prickles, especially near young children or pets.

This cactus will benefit from spending the summer outdoors, under an overhang or a bright shelter, as long as nights remain mild. A dry winter rest, between 5 and 10 °C, helps to encourage flowering. Bring it indoors before frosts and place it in a cool, dry location. It can bear occasional temperatures of –3 to –4 °C, when dry; it can only be grown in a rock garden in very sunny coastal areas with little winter rain.

In the house or apartment, grow Chamaelobivia in shallow terracotta pots placed on a shelf in full sun, or in a collection of mini-cacti near a French window. Its clump-forming habit pairs well with Astrophytum myriostigma (bishop's cap), Mammillaria elongata ‘Cristata’ with its wavy relief, Espostoa lanata dressed in white wool, and, to add height, Cereus forbesii ‘Spiralis’ with its twisted stems.