Species library › Cylindropuntia › Cylindropuntia bernardina
Succulents Well documented

Cylindropuntia bernardina

A slender, densely branched cholla of the inland valleys and desert edges of southern California and northern Baja California, often treated as part of Cylindropuntia californica. It grows in full sun in dry scrub with winter rain and a long hot dry summer. In cultivation it needs strong light, a gritty mix and a dry, cool winter.

Cylindropuntia bernardina
Photo: Jim Morefield, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets 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

Coastal sage scrub, chaparral edges and desert transition scrub on dry slopes, washes and benches.

Recorded at about 17-1,775 m, median about 830 m.

CaliforniaMexico Northwest

🔒 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

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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.