Pocket BotanistPlant guide
Peruvian torch cactus.
Echinopsis macrogona (Salm-Dyck) Riccob.
Pronounced ek-in-OP-sis mak-ro-GO-na
Also known as Echinopsis macrogona
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This striking columnar cactus is a favorite for its beautiful blue green stems and impressive spines. It thrives in sunny spots and brings a desert feel to any collection. You will love how it grows tall and stately with proper care.
At a glance
- Care level
- Easy
- Plant type
- Cactus
- Light
- Full sun
- Indoor light
- Direct sun
- Water
- Every 14 to 30 days
- Mature size
- 3 to 4 meters
- Growth rate
- Medium
Care
Give this cactus plenty of direct sun and ensure the soil dries out completely between waterings. Watch for soft or mushy stems, which indicate the plant is getting too much water. Keep it in a well draining mix to prevent root rot.
- Watering
- Let the soil dry out entirely before you water again.
- Feeding
- Feed with a balanced cactus fertilizer during the active growing season.
- Pruning
- Only prune to remove damaged or diseased sections using sterile tools.
- Repotting
- Repot when the plant becomes top heavy or outgrows its container.
- Soil
- Gritty cactus mix
- Soil pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
Safety
- Pets
- This plant contains mescaline and related alkaloids, so it should be treated as toxic to cats and dogs if chewed or eaten. Signs can include vomiting, drooling, wobbliness and unusual behavior, so keep it out of reach of pets.
How to identify it
- Columnar stems with blue green skin
- Prominent ribs along the stem
- Long sharp spines in clusters
- Large white nocturnal flowers
Problems to watch for
Check your peruvian torch cactus from a photo
Pocket Botanist looks at a photo of your plant and tells you what's wrong and what to try first.
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Science
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Trichocereus
- Order
- Caryophyllales
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.
Also in
Keep your peruvian torch cactus growing
This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.
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This guide was generated with AI on and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.