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Matucana aurantiaca

Matucana aurantiaca
Photo: CactiLegacy, CC BY-SA 4.0

Matucana aurantiaca is a spiny, globular to cylindrical cactus from the Andes of northern Peru, prized for its orange funnel-shaped summer flowers. It grows well in bright sun with dry winters and protection from rain and frost.

Family
Cactaceae (Cactus family)
Grows as
Succulent
Light
Full sun
Water
Water and feed freely in the growing season from spring to autumn, and keep nearly dry through winter.
Soil
Fast-draining cactus or gritty mineral mix.
Temperature
Protect from frost and cold wet conditions; best in an unheated greenhouse in temperate areas.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Peru
Climate
montane tropical

About

Matucana aurantiaca (common name, orange matucana) is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae. It grows in the Cajamarca and La Libertad regions of Peru. It is considered to have a stable population and a wide range with no threats.

How to grow it

In temperate areas this plant requires some protection from rain and frost, so is best grown under glass in an unheated greenhouse which receives plenty of sun. It is kept dry through the winter, but watered and fed during the growing season, from spring to autumn. In cultivation in the United Kingdom it has been given the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Where it grows

Matucana aurantiaca is distributed in the Peruvian regions of Ancash, La Libertad, Cajamarca and possibly Piura at altitudes of 2000 to 3700 meters.

Other Matucana plants

Matucana intertexta

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Matucana aurantiaca 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.

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