Species library › Harrisia › Harrisia tortuosa
Succulents Well documented

Harrisia tortuosa

A sprawling to arching cactus with slender, ribbed, spiny stems and large white night-blooming flowers followed by red fruit, native to the Chaco and Espinal of northern Argentina and neighbouring countries. It wants full sun and hot, wet summers, and tolerates a cool, dry winter with light frost; it is invasive in parts of Australia.

Harrisia tortuosa
Photo: demianlescano, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Dry forest, thornscrub and open woodland edges on the plains of the Chaco and Espinal, scrambling among shrubs or forming low thickets in full sun to light shade.

Lowland: 85–950 m, median about 280 m (few records with elevation).

Argentina NortheastParaguayBoliviaBrazil West-CentralUruguay

🔒 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 Harrisia tortuosa? 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 CC0 licence, unmodified.