Ferocactus glaucescens Inermis

The Ferocactus glaucescens 'Inermis' is a glaucous globular cactus without spines. It initially presents a solitary blue-green body, with a globular shape, divided into numerous acute ribs, giving it a particularly ribbed appearance. With age, this cactus develops many offshoots at its base and new stems to form a cluster of several heads, with flattened and woolly tops that emit lemon-yellow trumpet flowers with waxy and delicately fringed petals in late spring. Easy to grow but not very hardy, it just needs to be planted in a well-draining potting soil that is not too poor or dry, always placed in full sun and brought indoors during winter.

The Ferocactus glaucescens 'Inermis' belongs to the cactus family. It is a horticultural variety of Ferocactus glaucescens, native to the eastern centre of Mexico. It is a persistent perennial without spines, with a thick and fleshy above-ground part that allows it to withstand desert conditions.

This Ferocactus glaucescens 'Inermis' shows rather slow growth, especially at the beginning, and reaches a size of 50 cm (20in) in all directions at maturity. It first forms a solitary globular stem, with 11 to 15 quite pronounced ribs, blue-green in color, with a slightly sunken top. With age, this cactus spreads out and branches to form a stack of channelled "heads". On young stems, the areoles along the ribs sometimes bear 1 to 3 quite long spines, which disappear fairly quickly. Flowering occurs from March to June on specimens exceeding approximately 13 cm (5in) in diameter. It takes the form of lemon-yellow flowers, 3 to 4 cm (1 to 2in) in diameter, with numerous oblong, lanceolate, waxy petals, fringed like feathers, which last for several days. They appear in multiple at the same time, opening from the creamy woolly mass covering its apex.

Plant the Ferocactus glaucescens 'Inermis' in a rock garden or on a well-drained slope if your garden is located by the sea or in the Mediterranean, where frost does not exceed -2°C (28.4°F), in the company of Cape Aster Felicia amelloides, Delosperma, and purslanes that appreciate the same environments. Elsewhere, you can plant it in a nice pot, alone or in combination with other cacti such as Astrophytum myriostigma, for example.