Leucostele deserticola

A shrubby columnar cactus, formerly in Echinopsis or Trichocereus, of the coastal hills of the Atacama and Coquimbo deserts in northern Chile. It has very long central spines and white night flowers. It lives with almost no rain, mild temperatures and coastal fog, so give it full sun, a gritty mix and a dry, 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

Grows in coastal desert scrub and on rocky outcrops of the Cordillera de la Costa, fully exposed, with moisture mainly from coastal fog.

Grows from near the coast up to about 1,000 m; the few records with an elevation lie at 200 to 994 m.

Chile NorthChile Central

🔒 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 chiloensis Leucostele atacamensis Leucostele terscheckii Leucostele bolligeriana 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 CC BY 4.0 licence, unmodified.