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Species library › Stenocereus › Stenocereus zopilotensis
Succulents Well documented

Stenocereus zopilotensis

A columnar, branching cactus endemic to the hot Cañón del Zopilote in central Guerrero, Mexico, where it grows in tropical dry forest. It needs warmth, full sun and a dry winter, and it is sensitive to cold. In pots it stays a slow, ribbed column for many years.

Stenocereus zopilotensis
Photo: P Gonzalez Zamora, CC BY 4.0, 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 in the ground

Where it grows wild

Rocky slopes in tropical deciduous forest and thorn scrub of the Zopilote canyon (Balsas basin), exposed to strong sun. The surrounding trees are leafless in the dry season.

Records carry no elevations. The climate site is set at 720 m, below its 1,282 m grid cell, which matches the low canyon floor.

Mexico (Guerrero)

🔒 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.