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Species library › Epithelantha › Epithelantha polycephala
Succulents Well documented

Epithelantha polycephala

A tiny, clustering button cactus from the Chihuahuan Desert of Coahuila, densely covered in white spines. It needs very bright light, a mineral limestone mix, summer water and a completely dry, cool winter.

Epithelantha polycephala
Photo: Amante Darmanin from Malta, CC BY 2.0, 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 in the ground

Where it grows wild

Open limestone hills in Chihuahuan Desert scrub, often partly buried among rock chips. Habitat detail is from the genus.

Few records carry an elevation; this is a plant of the northeastern Mexican desert uplands.

Mexico (Coahuila)

🔒 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

Grow Epithelantha polycephala? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

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More Epithelantha

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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 2.0 licence, unmodified.