Austrocylindropuntia pachypus

A thick-stemmed, densely spined columnar opuntioid endemic to the dry coast and lower valleys of western Peru near Lima, with large red flowers. It wants warmth, strong sun and very little water, and never sees frost.

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Coastal desert and dry scrub on stony slopes, where winter coastal fog adds moisture but almost no rain falls.

Literature gives 0–500 m; the GBIF records with elevations are at about 1,275–1,320 m in the lower Rímac and Chillón valleys.

Peru

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Austrocylindropuntia pachypus? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.