Ariocarpus are desert plants that grow mostly in Mexico.  These geophytes are commonly called “living rocks” due to their ability to mimic the surrounding geology and blend in.

Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus are diminutive geophytic cacti that form compact, star-shaped rosettes close to the ground, rarely exceeding a few centimeters in height. Although they can cluster together, often only a small disc of their tubercles is visible at the soil's surface, concealing a substantial taproot below. These cacti have solitary stems, occasionally sending out side shoots from older areoles, with a flattened top that dips in the center. 

Their deltoid, dark olive green tubercles lack spines and lie flat on the soil's surface, tending to be longer than wide, densely packed, and angled sharply at the tip. The tubercles exhibit a central longitudinal groove on their adaxial surfaces, which is woolly and measures 1-3 mm in width and 5-10 mm in length. Below the surface, each plant sports a substantial taproot, resembling a turnip, serving as a reservoir for water storage. In mid-September and onwards, these cacti bloom with bright pink-violet flowers, emerging from a woolly crown, which expand to be 2.5-5 cm wide, twice as wide as they are long when fully open. These diurnal flowers last for 3 to 4 days.

This specific variety (A. kotschoubeyanus var. elephantidens), exhibits significantly larger dimensions, featuring prominent, textured, triangular tubercles and deep purple flowers with minimal to no white markings.

Care