Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus, found in several states of Mexico, is one of the the most diminutive of the Ariocarpus, rarely reaching four inches across. With it's star shaped body and striped tubercules, this one is my favorite. The one in the photo is barely 3/4 of an inch across and still very pretty. Faster growing than A. fissuratus but not as fast as A. retusus it can reach flowering size in five years or less (though flowering size might only be an inch and 1/2). It's also a tough little cactus. It's reported by grafters that after cutting a seedlings head off to graft it to something, the left over root sometimes produces a new one. Like other Ariocarpus it has a large tap root and shrivels down to the ground in times of drought. It produces showy white to pink flowers in fall. Sorry no flower pics yet. It will be few years down the road with this one. Click HERE for a link to an Au Cactus Francophone page with flower pics. Au Cactus Francophone is a nice French site with thousands of pictures.
     Update June 3rd 2006. I acquired this grafted Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus monstrosa from Miles2go last fall. I never took a pic because it didn't look like much to start with. Over the winter it got attacked by spider mites and I noticed too late. I set it aside and left it for dead. It got no water for months. Then I decided that I should at least get a cutting or two from the graft stock and started watering it again and put it where it could get some light. Yesterday I happened to glance at it and wonder of wonders the scion has come back from the dead! Thank God I hadn't just thrown it on the compost pile! Here are some pictures of this remarkable comeback.
     Update July 15th 2006, new pictures of the monster. Now it's mid July and growth has been slow, though very steady. The plant definately grows strangely. The first two heads almost look like normal A. kotschoubeyanus, and seem to dominate. Little heads that form around them seem to stay small. Other new growth almost has a distorted look, like a seedling. I took one more pic in late September, it has really filled out.Click below.

The first head. Early June	A little closer	A second head a week later	Mid July Head #1 revisited
Head #2 revisited	A side view, new heads popping	A close up of new growth	End of season parting shot