Hello, This plant was given to me in September and it quickly flowered, the flower lasted about 2 weeks. I'm in australia. the plant is not necessarily native. The tiny bit of white fluff you can see has grown since the flower died. I thought maybe it was mealy bugs (from my internet reading) but all treatments have had no effect on the fluff, even from my mum who is an expert gardner, so now i'm back to thinking it's natural. I really need to know how much to water it, how much light etc. and whether the fluff is the cactus or something else. i've so far been watering it not even enough for any to come out of the (well-drained) bottom. and giving it indirect light by a big window. because it's new and been through a lot with the move i'm not confident with repotting or anything drastic like that as I think this plant needs some time to settle.
Re: Identification: Cactus/succulent with pink flower i want to say notocactus. not sure if that's right or not. can't remember if their ribs get like that or not. rosemarie will know - hopefully she'll stop in soon.
oh thankyou so much!! i see from some photos on google, that the fuzz is quite common with some varieties? so I shouldn't worry about its health? or should I take this question elsewhere?
What fluff are you asking about? The small dot in the center of the picture? If it cannot be removed just by gently pushing it it is probably natural. I cannot see anything else that might be wrong with your plant.
I see Lila has already ID'd it for you. :) I like the old name, as it's more fun to say out loud...Echinofossulocactus! :D The wool found at the base of the spines is normal. Your plant looks very healthy! I'd say you were caring for it very well! Keep up the good work! It does not look like it needs repotting.