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Species library › Opuntia › Opuntia caracassana
Succulents Well documented

Opuntia caracassana

A shrubby prickly pear from the hot, dry Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela and the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao). It is a tropical cactus: full sun, constant heat and drying trade winds, with no cold winter. It suffers if kept cold.

Opuntia caracassana
Photo: Alex Lomas, CC BY 2.0, 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
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grows in coastal thorn scrub and cactus scrub on rocky limestone and sandy ground, exposed to strong sun and wind.

Recorded from sea level to 836 m, mostly near the coast (median 67 m).

ArubaCuraçaoBonaireColombiaVenezuelaTrinidad and Tobago

🔒 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.