The type habitat near Los Chañares was the only known population of G. Berchtii for many years. During my trip in 2005, we were able to find another habitat further to the south-east of it and during the last couple of years two more populations were found. G. berchtii is a universally acknowledged and very distinctive species.

Based on the first description by Neuhuber in Gymnocalycium 10 (3) 1997:
body
shape	solytary, flat or disk shaped
height / diameter	up to 20 mm / 40-60 mm
epidermis	dull, black-grey or black-brown, white frosted, looks violet-grey when heavily exposed to uv-rays
rib	flat (7)-9, nearly straight and widens to the base, then 17-20 mm in diameter
root	stake root
spination
areole shape	oval
areole distance	9-12 mm
spine	straight, rare slightly curved, thin, 7-10 mm in length, mostly laying close at the body, dark-brown to black, in direction of the top reddish brown or lighter, scarcely greyish
centrals spine	none

fruit
shape	short club-shaped
fruit length / diameter	21-42 mm / 9,5-20 mm
fruit color	blue when ripe, seldom grey-green
peculiarities	vertical ripping
seed
shape	small
diameter	1,2-1,4 mm
seed group	Gymnocalycium

flower
flower shape	funnel-shaped
length/diameter	53-79 mm / 43-60 mm
flower color	soft-rose to soiled white, rose-brown gullet
exterior petals	lanceolate, white with soft rose middle streak, light-green to light-rose center and sometimes a grey-green top at the outside, soft-rose base, up to 38 mm in length, at the widest part 9 mm in diameter, at the base 4mm in diameter I
interior petals	lanceolate to trapezoid-like, sometimes a bit fringed, mother-of-pearl-like color, light-green at the bottom, fine rose middle streak, rose base, up to 25 mm in length, widest part is 7,5 mm in diameter, at the base 2mm in diameter
filaments	light-yellow, 8-11 mm in length, 1-2 basic rows, short, laying close at the style
stamens	yellow, 1,5 mm long, 0,6 mm wide
pollen	yellow
style length / width	12,9 mm / ca. 2,0 mm
style color	light-green at the base and changing to white in direction of stigma
stigma	yellow, 5 mm in length, 7-9 stigma branches, middle classed

Typus: Argentina, Provincia San Luis, Los Chañares, 690 m s.m., 16 Decembro.1989, leg. G. Neuhuber 89–158 (Holotypus: WU).