Sign in Start free
Species library › Melocactus › Melocactus harlowii
Succulents Partly documented

Melocactus harlowii

A Turk's-cap cactus endemic to the dry south-eastern coast of Cuba, where it grows in hot, sunny coastal scrub close to sea level.

Melocactus harlowii
Photo: amantedarmanin, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-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

Recorded along the arid southern coastal strip of eastern Cuba (Guantánamo and Santiago area), the island's driest region; like other Caribbean Melocactus it grows among low thorn scrub on rocky, mostly limestone coastal ground.

Measured records sit at 17–177 m, median 45 m: a near-coastal lowland plant.

Cuba

🔒 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 Melocactus harlowii? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Start free Sign in

More Melocactus

Melocactus curvispinus Melocactus macracanthos Melocactus azureus Melocactus bahiensis Melocactus bellavistensis Melocactus caroli-linnaei Melocactus ernestii Melocactus levitestatus Melocactus matanzanus Melocactus violaceus Melocactus conoideus Melocactus intortus All 53 →

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.