Chin or Spider cacti are small and globular, with colours ranging from blue-green to grey or brown. They often have metallic-coloured buds and flower freely when still young. There are 80 species in this extremely varied group. In the wild they in the shade of other vegetation to avoid being in full sun. They are likely to suffer from sun scorch or stunted growth if over exposed to sunlight. Having said that, there are exceptions to this rule - Gymnocalycium saglionis being one of them that loves full sun.

Most species have funnel-shaped flowers around the crown at intervals from late spring right through summer. They will open fully in bright light. A rare treat is for them to bear green, blue or red plum-shaped fruits. I have no idea whether they are edible or not.

The cactus pictured is Gymnocalycium baldianum. This short, flat-bodied cactus with curved, pale brown spines has very eye-catching deep red, pink or purple flowers. Plants over 2.5cm in diameter should bloom in early summer, possibly producing green fruits. They can grown to a maximum height of 13cm (5 in) and a spread of 30cm (12 in). For little plants they are amazingly hardy and can survive temperatures as low as 5° C, which is pretty cold! We normally assume cacti to be heat loving plants.

I keep mine with my African violets and Begonias in my hallway. It's a warm, bright spot with very little direct sun. I water with room temperature rain or filtered tap water only when the soil is totally dry and dusty. This can be as frequent as twice a week in the hot summer months or as infrequent as once a month during the winter.