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Cleistocactus strausii
Silver torch cactus is a columnar cactus that grows as a clumping shrub of slender, silvery-white spined stems up to 3 m tall. It thrives with full sun, very well-draining soil, and very little water in winter.
Cleistocactus strausii, the silver torch or wooly torch, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Cactaceae.
It can be propagated by cuttings or seed. Cuttings should be taken near the base of the main stem, similar to cuttings for aloe vera. Rooting of this new cutting usually occurs within 3-8 weeks, therefore it is usually better to propagate silver torch cactus via seed.
This cactus prefers free draining soils, strong sunlight, but not high temperatures; in fact it can withstand hard frosts down to −10 °C (14 °F). In its natural habitat it receives plenty of water during the summer, but almost none over the winter. In cultivation, watering too much in winter often leads to root rot.
It is native to mountainous regions of Department Tarija, Bolivia, at 1,700–2,700 m (5,577–8,858 ft). Cleistocactus strausii is found on steep cliffsides in mountainous regions that are dry and semi-arid. Like other cacti and succulents, it thrives in porous soil and full sun. While partial sunlight is the minimum requirement for survival, full sunlight for several hours a day is required for the silver torch cactus to bloom flowers. It is found growing among Cleistocactus crassicaulis and Cleistocactus hyalacanthus.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cleistocactus strausii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
