Leucostele chiloensis

The tall, branching columnar cactus of central Chile (long known as Echinopsis or Trichocereus chiloensis), with edible fruit. It grows on sunny Mediterranean hillsides with hot, dry summers and cool, slightly wetter winters, so it wants full sun, a dry summer-to-autumn pattern of watering in moderation, and a cool winter.

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

Open Mediterranean scrub (matorral) on coastal hills, interior valleys and Andean foothills, typically on dry, sunny, rocky slopes.

Up to about 1,800 m; measured records 343 to 1,300 m, median about 760 m.

Central ChileNorthern Chile (Coquimbo)

🔒 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 Leucostele

Leucostele atacamensis Leucostele terscheckii Leucostele bolligeriana Leucostele deserticola Leucostele litoralis Leucostele nigripilis Leucostele werdermanniana Leucostele tunariensis Leucostele skottsbergii Leucostele faundezii Leucostele pectinifera Leucostele undulosa

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.