Echinopsis pugionacantha

A small high-Andean cactus (often sold as Lobivia pugionacantha) from the puna of southern Bolivia and Jujuy, Argentina, with dagger-like yellow spines and yellow, pink or orange-red flowers. It needs intense light, a very dry winter with frost, and a short wet summer.

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

Grows on stony, open puna grassland and slopes in the high Andes, fully exposed to sun.

Literature gives 3,500 to 4,000 m; the measured sites are at about 3,540 and 4,020 m.

BoliviaJujuy

🔒 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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More Echinopsis

Echinopsis pachanoi Echinopsis densispina Echinopsis lageniformis Echinopsis macrogona Echinopsis oxygona Echinopsis pentlandii Echinopsis candicans Echinopsis cinnabarina Echinopsis haematantha Echinopsis huascha Echinopsis ancistrophora Echinopsis marsoneri All 80 →

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 CC0 licence, unmodified.