Species · genus Astrophytum · Cactaceae

Sand Dollar Cactus

Astrophytum asterias (Zucc.) Lem.

Also known as: Seaurchin Starcactus · Star Cactus · Sea-urchin Cactus · Silver-dollar Cactus · Star Peyote

Growth habit

succulent subshrub

Native range

Mexico Northeast, Texas

Reference · A. asterias

Cultivars of A. asterias

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under A. asterias yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Astrophytum asterias is a small, spineless succulent cactus from the arid scrublands of northeastern Mexico and southern Texas, where it sits flush with gritty, fast-draining soil under strong sun. Grow it in a sharply draining mineral mix and water deeply only when the soil has gone completely dry to the bottom of the pot, erring on the dry side since it stores water and rots when kept moist. Give it the brightest, sunniest spot you have, and water sparingly or not at all through winter dormancy.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 30 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

10–30 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, fast-draining cactus mix with extra pumice

Propagation

Seed; grafting

Fertilizing

Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed occasionally in summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Yellow flowers with red centers in spring and summer with bright light

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Sand Dollar Cactus yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.