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Chin Cactus

Gymnocalycium mihanovichii, Cactaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Moon cactus and Plaid Cactus.

Chin Cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii), the whole plant.
Petr Vodička, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. NC State Extension publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun, Partial Shade
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Water
Good Drainage
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exception
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam (Silt), Sand; pH Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No record of poisoning in people is listed for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Water sparingly and let the soil dry fully between waterings. During winter dormancy, water even less.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Feed only in the growing season; pruning is usually not needed.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Seeds or grafting can be used for propagation.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Feed only during the growing season; pruning is usually unnecessary.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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Flowers of Chin Cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii).
FlowersLlez, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Chin Cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) growing in a pot.
In a potBarracudema, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Native range
Paraguay to Argentina (Chaco, Formosa)
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Paraguay to Argentina
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
succulent subshrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Perennial, Succulent; habit erect
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 2–3 in; width 2–3 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers brown/copper, gold/yellow, green; blooms in spring, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

More of the Cactaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.