Submitted by: Tom Glavich and Maria Capaldo
Rebutia, Aylostera, Cintia, Sulcorebutia and Weingartia are genera in the family Cactaceae, native to Bolivia and Argentina. They are generally small, colorful cacti, globular in form, which freely produce flowers that are relatively large in relation to the body. They are considered fairly easy to grow, pup freely around the parent plant and may produce large quantities of seeds. Some plants originally named Weingartia tend to be solitary.
These genera are easily grown. They are dormant in winter, and start to grow in late March or April. They flower from April through June, with the peak flowering period varying from year to year depending on the weather. Two flowering cycles are common in cultivation in California. The flowers are almost always numerous, and vary in color from purple and red through orange to yellow. They do well in normal compost, and grow best with steady fertilization, when in active growth. They are both attractive to spider mites. Damage can be prevented by frequent inspection, and a weekly, forceful wash down with water..
(Tom Glavich)
Due to molecular genetic studies the genera Aylostera, Cintia, Sulcorebutia and Weingartia have been considered to be separate from Rebutia. The number of species included varies widely from source to source. A very large number of plants that have been treated in cultivation as species of Rebutia are now generally regarded as varieties, forms or synonyms of a much smaller number of species.
As of May 13 2025 only the following three species are shown as accepted by Plants of the World Online. Rebutia fabrisii (Argentina), Rebutia minuscula (Argentina) and Rebutia padcaayensis (Bolivia to Argentina). In addition 4 more species are shown as accepted by World Flora Online; Rebutia borealis, Rebutia pulchra, Rebutia ritteri, and Rebutia steinbachii. Other species of Rebutia have been placed in the genera Aylostera or Weingartia or they have been placed in other accepted species of Rebutia.
Differences between Rebutia and Aylostera include that in Rebutia the flowers tend to be uniformly coloured and have no hairs or bristles, also they have no distinctive ribs, but do have regularly arranged small tubercles; whereas in Aylostera flowers are often bicoloured or multi-toned, have contrasting stamens and/or styles, and have hairs or bristles.
Species formerly classified as Weingartia, Sulcorebutia, and Cintia show a close relationship to each other through recent molecular studies. Sulcorebutia and Cintia have been moved to Weingartia by Plants of the World Online except for one, Sulcorebutia chilensis, which has been moved to Neowerdermannia chilensis. It has also been found that Sulcorebutia can hybridize with Weingartia but not with Rebutia.
Former names can be used in the Mini-Show and this article will use both names in photos.
(Maria Capaldo)
LATIN LOOKUP – Loquerisne Latine (Do you speak Latin)?
The meanings of latin plant names on this page – from https://davesgarden.com/guides/botanary/
- borealis [bor-ee-AL-is, bor-ee-AY-lis]
From the North. - chilensis [chil-ee-EN-sis]
Of or from Chile. - Cintia [SIN-tee-a]
Of or from Cinti a city near Otavi, Potosi in Bolivia. - deminuta [dee-MIN-yoo-tuh]
Small, reduced, diminutive; small sized plants. - flavistyla [flav-ih-STY-la]
Having a yellow or yellowish style. - minuscula [min-oo-SKYOO-luh]
Very small. - muscula [MUS-kuh-luh]
Diminutive of Latin mus (mouse, or muscle). - Neowerdermannia [nee-oh-wer-der-MAHN-nee-a]
New Werdermannia (genus named for Dr. Erich Werdermann, 20th century German professor of botany in Berlin). - pulchra [PUL-kruh]
Handsome, pretty. - rauschii [ROWSH-ee-eye]
Discovered by Walter Rausch, 20th century cactus collector in South America. - Rebutia [ray-BEW-tee-uh]
Named for Pierre Rebut, 19th century French cactus dealer and expert. - ritteri [RIT-ter-ee]
Named for Friedrich Ritter, early 20th century German cactus collector. - steinbachii [stine-BAH-kee-eye]
Named for J. Steinbach, a 20th century plant collector who collectetd in Bolivia. - Sulcorebutia [sul-koh-ray-BEW-tee-uh]
From the Latin sulcus (furrowed) and Rebutia (genus named for Pierre Rebut, 19th century French cactus dealer and expert).