Epithelantha bokei

A tiny button cactus covered in dense, pearly white spines, from limestone hills of the Chihuahuan Desert in the Big Bend region and Coahuila. It is slow and rots easily, so give strong light, a dry winter and a very mineral limestone mix.

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

Cracks and gravel on limestone ledges and hills in Chihuahuan desert scrub, exposed to full sun.

Typically about 700–1,300 m; the 2,682 m record is likely another Epithelantha.

Texas (USA)Coahuila (Mexico)

🔒 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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More Epithelantha

Epithelantha greggii Epithelantha pachyrhiza Epithelantha cryptica Epithelantha ilariae Epithelantha micromeris Epithelantha polycephala Epithelantha potosina Epithelantha pulchra Epithelantha spinosior

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 4.0 licence, unmodified.