Species library › Corryocactus › Corryocactus aureus
Succulents Well documented

Corryocactus aureus

A colony-forming cactus from the high dry slopes around Arequipa, Peru. It spreads by underground shoots into clumps of short, dark-spined stems with orange-yellow to orange-red flowers. It needs intense light, cold nights and a long, bone-dry winter.

Corryocactus aureus
Photo: cstobie, 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

Grows in desert and dry scrub on hillsides of the western Andes in Arequipa. It is fully exposed to high-altitude sun.

The literature gives about 2,500 to 3,500 m. The three records with elevations are at 2,700 to 2,880 m.

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 Corryocactus aureus? 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.