Melocactus zehntneri Seeds pack of 20 seeds

Melocactus zehntneri Origin and Habitat: Northeastern Brazil (Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Maranhao, Tocantins and Bahia).The species has a wide range and is abundant.
Altitude: 200-1000 m above sea level.
Habitat: Grows in the Caatinga in a wide varieity of soil types, including soil, sand and rocks of various types, including limestone, gneiss/granite (inselbergs), sandstones, quartzitic and other crystalline formations often sit in narrow cracks of solid rook rows in dry areas where rainwater quickly disappears. The species can be very abundant, and has numerous (thousands) of subpopulations. The major threat is habitat loss due to agriculture, cattle ranching and gathering of fuel wood.
Ecology: The fruit of this plant sometimes remain embedded inside the cephalium bristles, with seeds waiting, perhaps, for the parent plant to die and provide a bit of organic matter for them to germinate in their surprisingly inhospitable environments.

Melocactus zehntneri Cultivation and Propagation: Exclusively by Seeds. Sow in February-march in a light, sandy, porous soil. Cover germinating tray with glass to prevent seed from drying out. Germination is most successful at a temperature of 18 to 22° C.
Remarks: The most remarkable part of a Melocactus is its cephalium a bristle-coated structure on the summit of the plant, only Melocactus, and the similar genus Discocactus possesses this type of permanent, apical, hatlike appendage. It’s only when a Melocactus reaches maturity that the cephalium begins to grow. Cylindrical, with a diameter distinctly smaller than that of the plant body below, the cephalium will keep growing for the rest of the plant’s life, but the body of the plant stops growing the moment the cephalium starts to form. . As the plants age the cephalium doesn’t increase in circumference it will steadily grow taller.