Synonyms:

Borzicactus celsianus
Borzicactus fossulatus
Cereus bruennowii
Cereus celsianus
Cleistocactus celsianus
Oreocereus neocelsianus
Pilocereus bruennowii
Pilocereus brunnowianus
Pilocereus brunnowii
Pilocereus celsianus var. bruennowii

Habitat:

O. celsianus is native to Argentina Northwest, Bolivia, Peru where the plant grows in semi-arid Andean region on rocky soils and can spread up to 3600 m of altitude.

Description:

O. celsianus is an amazing cactus belonging to the Cactaceae botanical family. The stem is erect, thick, columnar, arranged in 9-25 ribs. The plant branches from the base and can reach up to 3 m in height. The ribs are dark green and covered with long white hairs that wrap around the stem. The areoles are large, white and wooly and bear many spines. The central spines are robust and yellowish and the radial spines are 7-9. Blooming occurs in spring and blossom appear laterally almost at the top of the plant. The flowers are funnel-shaped, diurnal, pale pink to dark red with red filaments. The fruit is globular and yellow.

Cultivation:

This is a slow growing plant, easy to cultivate. The plant needs a full light sun exposure but is recommended to avoid direct sun-light in the hottest periods. The plant does not like temperatures below 4°C so it needs to be placed indoors in the coldest periods. The soil should be mixed with pumice, clay and loam to allow the drainage and prevent the root rot, the plant is prone to it indeed. Remember to use a perforating pot to drain excess water. Watering can be done regularly in Spring and Summer: during the vegetative period you can water the plant (every 7 days), checking that the soil is completely dry before watering again; in winter you should stop the watering to allow the plant to enter dormancy. If you want a faster and lush growth you can fertilize the plant once a month during the growing season with the specific fertilizers for cacti; stop fertilizing throughout the winter. If the pot starts to be too small for the plant you can repot the plant in a pot 2 cm wider. Repotting should be done early in the growing season with fresh new potting soil. Be careful to red spiders and mealy bugs.

Propagation:

Propagation can be done by cutting or by seed. By cutting you can make the cut during the spring and then let the cutting dry; after a few days the cut surface will dry and a callus will form, then place the cutting in a mixture of sand, soil and pumice. To increase the success of propagation you can make two or more cuttings at the same time. For cuttings it is recommended temperatures around 20 °C. By seed it is very simple to propagate the plant, it is enough to sow the seed in a sandy loam soil and keep it with a high level of humidity and at temperature of 14 C°.

Curiosity:

Oreocereus could be translated as “Mountain Cereus”: from the Greek “òros” (mountain). It is common in the wild only at high altitudes.

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

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