Austrocylindropuntia vestita
| Light | Bright light to full sun; the wool colours up best with strong light |
|---|---|
| Water | Moderate in growth, allow to dry between waterings; keep dry and cool in winter |
| Soil | Fast-draining mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Keep above freezing; roughly USDA zones 9b–11, tolerates a light touch of frost when bone dry |
| Propagation | Stem cuttings (very easy); also seed |
| Toxicity | Not poisonous, but the glochids and hairs irritate skin — handle with care |
Austrocylindropuntia vestita is a slender-stemmed, freely branching opuntioid cactus from the Andes, clothed all over in long, soft white woolly hairs and studded with small, deep red flowers. The dense white "fur" that hides the stems gives it its common name cotton cactus, and makes it one of the more charming and easy-going members of the genus Austrocylindropuntia for a beginner's collection.
Description
Austrocylindropuntia vestita forms clumps of thin, cylindrical, tuberculate green stems, typically finger-thick and branching enthusiastically from the base and along the sides. Each stem is wrapped in long, tangled white trichomes — the "cotton" — through which short spines and irritant glochids emerge. Like other members of the genus, it also bears small, narrow, succulent leaves near the stem tips; these are cylindrical and often deciduous, dropping as the segments mature.
The flowers are small but vivid: deep red to purplish-red, appearing near the ends of the stems in spring and summer on established plants. In cultivation the species is grown as much for its shaggy white coat and neat branching habit as for its blooms.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to the high Andes of Bolivia and neighbouring northern Argentina, where it grows on rocky slopes and in open scrub at altitude. Its dense white wool is an adaptation to that environment, helping to reflect strong mountain sunlight and buffer the plant against cold nights and drying winds. Plants there experience a warm, moist growing season followed by a cold, dry rest.
Cultivation
Austrocylindropuntia vestita is one of the easier opuntioids to keep and grows quickly for a cactus. Give it a very free-draining, mostly mineral mix and as much light as you can — full sun keeps the wool dense and white and the stems compact, while too little light causes thin, sparsely haired, etiolated growth. Water moderately through the warm months, letting the mix approach dryness between drinks, then keep the plant dry and cool over winter. A dry winter rest both prevents rot and encourages flowering.
It is vigorous enough that it may need periodic repotting or trimming to keep its shape. Take care when handling: the fine glochids lodged among the hairs work into skin readily, so use gloves or folded paper. See Watering for general technique.
Propagation
Propagation could hardly be simpler. Detached stem segments root quickly and reliably — allow the cut to callus for a few days, then set the piece on a barely-moist gritty mix and it will establish with little fuss. This is the usual way the plant is shared and grown on. Seed is also possible but slower and less commonly used by hobbyists. See Propagation — cuttings and Propagation — seed for full walkthroughs.
Common problems
- Rot — the main danger, almost always from overwatering or a slow-draining mix, especially if the plant is kept wet while cold in winter.
- Etiolation — insufficient light produces thin, weakly haired, stretched stems that lose the plant's characteristic woolly density.
- Glochid irritation — not a plant problem but a grower one; the tiny barbed glochids among the hairs are easily transferred to skin, so handle carefully.
- Pests — mealybugs can hide in the wool and at the stem bases; watch for cottony patches that differ from the plant's own hairs. See Pests and diseases.
See also
- Austrocylindropuntia — the genus overview
- Propagation — cuttings · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Pests and diseases