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Species library › Micranthocereus › Micranthocereus purpureus
Succulents Well documented

Micranthocereus purpureus

A columnar cactus from the rocky uplands of the Chapada Diamantina in Bahia, Brazil, forming a woolly lateral cephalium with small tubular flowers. It wants heat, strong sun and a free-draining mix, with a drier winter that never gets cold.

Micranthocereus purpureus
Photo: João Medeiros, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets 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

Sandstone and quartzite outcrops in campo rupestre and caatinga transition vegetation, growing among rocks in open sun.

Mostly 500–1,200 m in the Chapada Diamantina; median recorded elevation is 800 m.

Brazil (Bahia)

🔒 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 2.0 licence, unmodified.