Native records: 1 botanical areas
Argentina Northwest
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Distribution is shown as WGSRPD Level 3 areas. It does not imply the species occurs throughout an entire area.
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Distribution last verified:
A small globular cactus in the family Cactaceae, native to the mountains of north-western Argentina. Spherical green stems 5–7 cm across offset freely to form clumps, and in spring the crown of each stem is covered in brilliant red to scarlet flowers. One of the most widely grown rebutias and the type species of the genus.
Description
Type species of Rebutia K.Schum., a small globular to shortly cylindrical cactus. Stems 5–7 cm broad, bright green, sunken at the apex, covered in small tubercles bearing short bristly spines; offsets freely from the base to form dense mounds. Flowers funnel-shaped, 3–4 cm broad, intense red to scarlet (rarely orange), borne in a ring around the upper part of the stem in spring and early summer. Fruits are small, globose, scaled. Native to the mountains of north-western Argentina (Tucumán and adjacent provinces) where it grows on rocks and gravelly slopes in subtropical conditions, roughly between 1,500 and 3,000 m elevation, favouring bright light, cool nights and a distinct dry winter rest. In cultivation it is valued for floriferous, intensely coloured blooms; cool, dry overwintering promotes flowering.
Habitat
Native to north-western Argentina (WGSRPD level-3 region 'Argentina Northwest'), where it grows on rocks and gravelly slopes in the subtropical biome, typically at mid to high elevations with bright light and a pronounced cool, dry winter rest.
Distribution areas
Argentina
- Argentina NorthwestNative
Climate of the native range
The Köppen climate classes found in the areas this plant is recorded as native to. It does not mean an entire area has that climate.
- BSh Arid, steppe, hot
- BWk Arid, desert, cold
- BSk Arid, steppe, cold
- Cwa Temperate, dry winter, hot summer
The same climate occurs in 35 areas worldwide, 34 of which have no record of this plant. See them on the map
A matching climate does not mean the plant can grow there. Range limits are also set by things other than climate — dispersal history, soils, competition. Source: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0 (observed period 1991–2020).
Other names
Crown cactus、Small crown cactus
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Rebutia
Other species in Rebutia
Sources
World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04
Argentina · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv
Open source
Image information
Photograph of Rebutia minuscula
Tangopaso · Public domain · File page