Cactus- Eriosyce cachytayensis| mature; extra long black spines (3.5" pot)

Eriosyce cachytayensis—a name with a taxonomic identity crisis worth embracing—is a Chilean cactus whose formal classification remains unsettled: Kew and many authorities treat it as a synonym of Eriosyce paucicostata (formerly E. taltalensis subsp. paucicostata), while a number of growers and collectors argue the plants in cultivation are morphologically distinct enough to warrant their own name. Regardless of where you land on the debate, what you're buying is a compact, globular cactus with a dark bluish-green to purple-black body, prominently raised ribs, and straight spines that range from brown to nearly black. In late spring it produces funnel-shaped flowers in pale pink to pinkish-white, held near the apex. Grow it like its Chilean relatives: full sun to light shade, a sharply draining mineral mix, regular water in summer with complete dryness between soakings, and a bone-dry winter; it is hardy to at least 23°F, likely lower when kept dry. A plant for collectors who appreciate a good botanical argument as much as a beautiful cactus.