Choose rebutia by hair vs spines vs a mixed trade pot, not by a holiday-cactus tag. little mouse is the white-haired little mouse. R. fabrisii is the dense pale-spine clumper. Carnival is the colorful mix.
Choose by hair vs spines vs trade mix
Desert Tropicals: lists fabrisii, muscula, and narvaecensis in this genus. Care after you choose lives on How to Grow Rebutia.
- Dense white hair, “little mouse” on the tag → little mouse. Aylostera on the label is still this culture.
- Pale spines packed tight, orange-to-red flowers → R. fabrisii.
- A compact fiebrigii-group globe → R. narvaecensis.
- A mixed colorful crown-cactus dish without a species → Carnival. Same grit and rest.
- Flat glossy pads, Thanksgiving or Christmas in the name → walk. Not a type here.
Is little mouse the same as Carnival crown cactus?
No. Little mouse is the white-haired muscula (often Aylostera on older tags). Carnival is the trade mix sold for a colorful basal ring. Same water and winter — different look.
Is Aylostera a different plant?
Often the same hairy selections with a newer genus on the tag. Grit, soak-dry, and cool rest still apply.
Kinds we hold
Harvest to Table: small clustering globes with funnel flowers from the base and sides. We grow four kinds on that culture.
- Carnival — Carnival: trade mix sold for a colorful basal ring on a clustering body.
- Rebutia fabrisii — R. fabrisii: small clumper; dense pale spines; orange-to-red flowers.
- Little mouse — little mouse: white-haired clustering globe, often tagged Aylostera muscula. The hair is the tell, not a different water recipe.
- Rebutia narvaecensis — R. narvaecensis: compact fiebrigii-group selection. Same bright light, grit, and winter rest.
Christmas cactus, Aylostera, and names we do not hold
- Holiday cacti (Schlumbergera) have flat pads and a short-day bloom trick. They want more even moisture. If the tag says Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter cactus, you left this genus.
- Aylostera on a label is not a fail. Specialists split some hairy selections out of Rebutia. Grow them the same way.
- R. minuscula and R. padcayensis show up in database lists. We do not card them. Grow extras like the globes here, or shop a nursery that prints the Latin we grow.
- Sulcorebutia and Weingartia are shop lumps, not extra cards on this page.
Is a Christmas cactus a type of rebutia?
No. Holiday cacti are flat-pad jungle plants. Crown cactus is a small mountain globe with basal funnel flowers.
Offsets live on How to Propagate Rebutia.
Buy the body you can name. Then open How to Grow Rebutia.
FAQ
Can I mix all four in one bowl?
They share grit and rest, so a wide shallow bowl can work if every head still sees light. Crowded damp centers rot.
Are flower colors different types?
Color varies — red, orange, pink, yellow. Pick the body (hair vs spines vs mix) first, not a paint chip.
Is Sulcorebutia a type of rebutia?
Shops sometimes lump them. Grow extras like small Andean globes, or shop their own Latin. We do not add them as extra cards here.
Related guides
This note is part of Rebutia Guides.
More type comparisons by plant are gathered in Types of Plants Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors