Species library β€Ί Cleistocactus β€Ί Cleistocactus candelilla
Succulents Partly documented

Cleistocactus candelilla

A shrubby Bolivian Cleistocactus with slender, 3–5 cm stems branching from the base and light purple tubular flowers. It comes from dry inter-Andean valleys around 1300–2600 m, so it wants strong sun, warm days, cool nights and a dry winter rest.

Cleistocactus candelilla
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets 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 inter-Andean valley scrub and rocky slopes in Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and PotosΓ­, growing as an erect to sprawling shrub up to about 1 m, occasionally 3 m.

Wild records 690–2275 m (median 1858 m); the literature gives 1300–2600 m.

BoliviaCochabambaSanta CruzPotosΓ­

πŸ”’ Growing it like that

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

βœ“ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
βœ“ Humidity band, and how to hold it
βœ“ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
βœ“ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
βœ“ Substrate and airflow
βœ“ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Cleistocactus candelilla? 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-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.