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Species library › Melocactus › Melocactus zehntneri
Succulents Well documented

Melocactus zehntneri

A Turk's-cap cactus from the caatinga of north-east Brazil that, once mature, grows a woolly red-bristled cephalium on top. It needs constant heat, full sun and dry air, and is one of the more cold-sensitive cacti in cultivation.

Melocactus zehntneri
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

Grows on rock outcrops, sandy flats and stony ground in caatinga dry scrub, usually fully exposed.

Recorded from sea level to 975 m, median about 340 m.

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

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

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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.