Species library › Cleistocactus › Cleistocactus morawetzianus
Succulents Well documented

Cleistocactus morawetzianus

A shrubby columnar cactus up to 2 m tall from the dry inter-Andean valleys of central Peru, with golden spines and narrow white to pale pinkish-green flowers. It wants full sun, a dry winter and cool nights, reflecting its 2,200–3,000 m home.

Cleistocactus morawetzianus
Photo: David F. Belmonte, CC BY 4.0, 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

It grows on dry, rocky slopes of the Mantaro and Apurímac valleys, among scrub in a seasonally arid montane climate.

It grows at 2,200–3,000 m; the record coordinates range from 2,600 m to 3,300 m.

Peru (Junín)Peru (Huancavelica)Peru (Ayacucho)Peru (Apurímac)

🔒 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 Cleistocactus morawetzianus? 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 4.0 licence, unmodified.