Species library › Cochemiea › Cochemiea saboae
Succulents Well documented

Cochemiea saboae

A tiny clustering cactus from the Sierra Madre Occidental, long grown as Mammillaria saboae, with a thick taproot and huge pink flowers for its size. It comes from cool, dry winters and a wet summer monsoon, and rots easily if kept wet and cool.

Cochemiea saboae
Photo: KP Laer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Grows in crevices and thin soil pockets on volcanic rock in open oak-pine grassland and rocky slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental, largely exposed to sun.

Recorded at 1198-2407 m, median 1543 m.

Mexico NorthwestMexico Northeast

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.