The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens

Common name: Monk's Hood, Star Cactus, אסטרופיטום מקושט, אסטרופיטום מקושט

Family: Cactaceae (Cactus)

Distribution: Mexico

Habitat: Semidesert xerophile scrub, 800-2000m. Canyons and cliffs where it has favorable humidity and heat conditions.

IUCN Red list: Vulnerable

Life form: Perennial succulent

Uses: Ornamental

Etymology: Astrophytum means star-plant, ornatum means ornate.

In memory: of Nizza Yaffe-Ovadia, a teacher of nature and life.

Description: A columnar cactus, that looks like a star from above. Its ribs are embelished with white stripes of white-woolly scales. The white scales form different patterns, and adorn each cactus differently. The stem in solitary, 30-120 cm tall, 15-30 cm wide. It is grayish-green and its decorated with the white scales bands. It has 5-10 ribs. On the ribs' edges are the areoles - the spots from which the thorns grow, they are 1-5 cm apart and covered with whitish-yellowish hair. The flower is at the plant's edge, is lemon-yellow and 7-12 cm in size.