Cephalocereus nudus

A tree-like columnar cactus from the warm Pacific slope of southwestern Mexico, reaching about 10 m with 15–20 ribs and short spines that tend to drop off with age. It lives in frost-free dry forest and scrub with a long dry winter and a wet summer, so it wants heat, strong sun and a dry rest from about November to April.

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

Dry tropical deciduous forest and thorn scrub on rocky slopes and coastal hills, from the Oaxaca coast inland to dry valleys and west into Michoacán and Colima.

Recorded from near sea level to about 1,000 m (median about 300 m), with some inland records around Oaxaca's central valleys higher still.

Mexico Southwest

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

Start free Sign in

More Cephalocereus

Cephalocereus columna-trajani Cephalocereus macrocephalus Cephalocereus polylophus Cephalocereus euphorbioides Cephalocereus apicicephalium Cephalocereus fulviceps Cephalocereus mezcalaensis Cephalocereus scoparius Cephalocereus senilis Cephalocereus tetetzo Cephalocereus novus Cephalocereus parvispinus

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 4.0 licence, unmodified.