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Species library › Melocactus › Melocactus lanssensianus
Succulents Well documented

Melocactus lanssensianus

An endangered Turk's cap cactus from rocky outcrops in the dry northeast of Brazil (Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte). It needs full sun, constant warmth and a very mineral mix, and is drier in the late-year dry season but never cold.

Melocactus lanssensianus
Photo: Thomaz de Carvalho Callado, 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

It grows in rocky places in the caatinga, a hot, seasonally dry scrubland, typically in shallow soil pockets on bare rock in full sun.

The two usable records are at about 600-640 m on uplands of the Borborema plateau.

Brazil Northeast

🔒 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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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.