Species library › Ferocactus › Ferocactus macrodiscus
Succulents Well documented

Ferocactus macrodiscus

A low, flattened barrel cactus with pinkish-red spines and purple-pink flowers from the high plateaus of central and southern Mexico. It grows at 1,700–2,700 m with cool, dry winters and summer rain, so it takes more cold than most Ferocactus but needs full sun and a dry winter.

Ferocactus macrodiscus
Photo: User:ShineB, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets 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 grassland and scrub on high plateaus and rocky slopes, often half-buried in stony soil.

Recorded at 1,734–2,660 m, median 2,218 m (44 records).

OaxacaPueblaGuanajuatoQuerétaroSan Luis PotosíZacatecas

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

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 3.0 licence, unmodified.