This is a little guy, a very small, dark skinned cactus resembling a round brown rock that only gets about an inch high and about 3 inches wide. This plant has white flowers usually in clusters from June to September. The color of the stem varies by season, from grey-green and olive-green to purplish-brown.

Best in a container with very well-drained cactus soil. Filtered sun, or bright shade is best, avoid afternoon sun in summer. This is a summer-growing species, so water a few times a week in summer. In winter keep this plant on the drier side. Hardy to the mid 20s °F.

The genus Gymnocalycium derives its name from the Greek for “naked calyx”. This refers to the absence of spines or hair on the flower buds. The species is named after its collector whose name was Arturo Enrique Ragonese (1909-1992) an Argentine botanist and agronomist.

Gymnocalycium ragonesi grows semi-buried at the edge of saline grasslands. The concentration of salts is high in the surface of the ground, but it decreases deeper down where the roots grow. This species has a very restricted range in Catamarca, Argentina. The major threat for this species is illegal collection.

Gymnocalycium ragonesei in iNaturalist