Species library › Cephalocereus › Cephalocereus scoparius
Succulents Well documented

Cephalocereus scoparius

A tall columnar cactus of lowland central Veracruz and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec that forms a woolly lateral cephalium when mature. In cultivation it is a warm-growing, frost-tender column that needs strong light and a drier winter.

Cephalocereus scoparius
Photo: Peter A. Mansfeld, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Tropical deciduous forest and dry scrub on rocky hills in lowland Veracruz and Oaxaca, standing above the low canopy. Built from the measured range and genus knowledge.

Recorded at 14–1,476 m, median 350 m (68 records).

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

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 3.0 licence, unmodified.