Species · genus Astrophytum · Cactaceae

Monk's-hood

Astrophytum ornatum (DC.) Britton & Rose

Also known as: Ornamental Monk's-hood · Star Cactus

Growth habit

succulent subshrub

Native range

Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast

Reference · A. ornatum

Cultivars of A. ornatum

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

No named cultivars catalogued under A. ornatum 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 ornatum is a slow-growing succulent cactus from the arid scrublands of northeastern and Gulf Mexico, built to store water and endure drought. Give it a gritty, sharply draining mineral mix and the brightest spot you have, ideally direct sun. Water deeply only once the mix has dried out completely, roughly every 14 to 28 days in active growth, and far less in winter — let it stay nearly dry when cool and dormant, as it rots easily if kept wet.

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 14-28d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 28 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

10–32 °C

Soil mix

Fast-draining gritty cactus mix with extra pumice

Propagation

Grown from seed

Fertilizing

Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Yellow blooms on mature plants given 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 14-28d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Monk's-hood 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.