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Melocactus azureus
Melocactus azureus is a species of cactus. It is endemic to Brazil, where it is known only from Bahia. It is locally abundant but the populations are fragmented and vulnerable to habitat degradation.
Melocactus azureus has a relatively rapid growth rate given the best conditions. These tropical cacti are not recommended for beginners as they are not easy to grow. It grows well in very porous standard cactus mix soil, this cactus preferes very bright light however not as much as most arid growing cacti.
Melocactus azureus is endemic to central, northern, and eastern Brazil at altitudes of 450-800 metres above sea level. This species has a small range and is only in low-lying outcrops of limestone, tt occurs in fragmented populations from a few hundred to millions. A major threat to the species is habitat loss for agriculture, vegetation is destroyed when the surrounding caatinga forest is cleared causing a decline of wild populations. The change has an impact on the outcrops were the species grows as well, making them prone to invasive species.
Melocactus bahiensis · Melocactus bellavistensis · Melocactus braunii · Melocactus caroli-linnaei · Cone Like Turk's Head Cactus · Melocactus curvispinus · Wonderful Bristle Turk's Head Cactus · Melocactus ernestii · Melocactus estevesii · Cactus · Melocactus harlowii · Melocactus heimenii
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Melocactus azureus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
