Got this thrown in at the garden centre, can't work out what it is to decide whether it's worth saving or not. I think it got frost bite but all my suggestions should be able to cope with a bit of frost.
At first I thought it might be a ferocactus or echinocactus but it's got a bud on it (but it's dried out/aborted)and these only flower at a larger size don't they? This is in a 5" pot.
Strangely the closest match spine and form-wise is with my Astrophytym ornatum. Do these come in a "nudum" form that is frost susceptible. I thought they could cope to -4 degrees celsius (25F)?
I think its the Astrophytum. They come in non-flecked forms and just about every other form too. I have a nude hybrid which I grew from seed and it has survived -4C but looked very unhappy while the other Astrophytums were perfectly happy. I guess the flecks keep it warm
Plants which have been grown continuously warm, which is most garden centre plants, are not as hardy as ones which grew up in natural conditions. My E. grusonii from the Canary Islands has a distinct line. The old growth from the warm islands is all marked from cold winters while the new growth is pretty clean.
i think you could be right about Astrophytum_ornatum it might not be cold damage, it could be the opposite, if it was kept inside for a long while then put out in the sun too quickly that could be sunburn ?
thanks guys, now I just need it to get healthy, problem is if it's an Astrophytum it's only going to grow up columnar so it will always show the scars at the base
