Aztekium for sale

What arrives in an Aztekium order

At rarecactus.com we grow Aztekium ritteri from seed in our greenhouse in Orange County, California. Each listing gives the size of the plant you will receive, along with its sowing year or collector field number where we have one. At about a millimetre a year, the rate the care panel on our hub gives, even a half-inch plant has years of growing behind it. Batch listings show a representative plant from the group pictured.

Plants ship rooted and dry.

Pot into a small, deep, narrow pot of 95 per cent mineral mix, and give no water for about two weeks.

How we grow and ship Aztekium

Aztekium grows on shaded, near-vertical gypsum and limestone cliffs in Nuevo León, so we give it bright light without harsh midday sun. From spring through summer we water once the mix is completely dry, which runs from ten days to three weeks depending on the heat, then taper in autumn and give nothing at all from November to February, holding a winter minimum of 5°C. The Aztekium care guide has the full regime, and the Aztekium encyclopedia hub condenses it into a panel above the plant list.

An Aztekium is tiny, so it ships in its pot with the surface held in place, inside a box far larger than the plant. US shipping is a flat $12 (we ship nowhere else) and orders leave within 1 to 3 business days. All sales are final. If a plant arrives dead, write within a couple of days of delivery with your order number and clear photos of the plant and the packaging, and we will work toward a fair resolution.

Which Aztekium we stock

Aztekium ritteri is the original species, its primary ribs crossed by fine transverse furrows that read like carved stone. The genus also holds Aztekium hintonii and Aztekium valdezii, which we list as plants become available.

CITES and permits

Aztekium ritteri sits on CITES Appendix I, the strictest tier, and the rest of the genus on Appendix II; the species is also protected in Mexico under NOM-059. CITES governs international trade, so a plant shipped within the United States needs no permit, and artificially propagated stock is the only lawful way to own one.

Aztekium buying questions

How big is an Aztekium ritteri when it arrives?

Small. Aztekium ritteri stays under about 5 cm across for most of its life, and a plant several years from seed is often only about half an inch. Each listing states the size of the plant that ships. Plants usually need seven to ten years from seed to reach flowering size.

Why is Aztekium so slow?

Aztekium grows on shaded cliff faces with its roots in rock crevices, in a climate that allows only a short growing season. About a millimetre a year is normal, and nothing in cultivation changes that without grafting.

Do I need a permit to buy Aztekium ritteri in the US?

No permit is needed within the United States. Appendix I applies to international trade, and our nursery-propagated plants ship domestically with no CITES paperwork.

How do I pot an Aztekium?

Pot an Aztekium in a small, deep, narrow pot of lean mineral mix with a little limestone, so the taproot has depth and the tiny root zone never sits in wet mix. Oversized pots invite rot.