Synonyms:

Borzicactus celsianus var. trollii
Borzicactus trollii
Cereus trollii
Echinopsis trollii
Oreocereus crassiniveus
Oreocereus irigoyenii
Oreocereus trollii var. crassiniveus
Oreocereus trollii var. tenuior
Pilocereus trollii

Habitat:

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

Description:

O. trollii is a small shrubby cactus belonging to the Cactaceae botanical family. The stem is erect, thick, columnar, arranged in 15-25 ribs made of tubercles. The plant branches from the base and forms clumps of short shoots. The stem can reach up to 50 cm in height and 10 cm in diameter. The ribs are light green and covered with long white hairs that wrap around the stem. The areoles are large, white and woolly and bear many spines. The central spines are robust, yellowish or orange and tipped. The radial spines are 10-15, whitish and evolved to resemble hairs and protect the plant from cold and the strong sun of the mountain environments. Blooming occurs in summer and blossom appear laterally almost at the top of the plant. The flowers are funnel-shaped, diurnal, pale pink to violet red up to 4 cm long. 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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