Melocactus oreas

A Turk's-cap cactus of the Bahian caatinga and campo rupestre, growing on rocky outcrops in strong sun and heat. Once mature it forms a woolly cephalium and stops growing in width, so give it warmth, strong light and never let it sit cold and wet.

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 on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Grows among rocks and in crevices on gneiss, granite and sandstone outcrops in caatinga and the edges of campo rupestre in Bahia, in full exposure.

Recorded at 0–906 m (median 520 m, 14 records); the 0 m values are probably missing elevations.

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.