Austrocylindropuntia

The cacti that belong to Austrocylindropuntia are characterized by cylindrical, fleshy stems, usually made of tubercles. Another peculiarity is about the spines that cover the epidermis of some species: these spines can be quite insidious, and it can be tricky to remove them. In their natural habitat, this is functional to the cacti propagations: attached to animals, the tubercles can disseminate and generate new specimens. For sure, we recognize the inventiveness of this reproduction process; anyway, it can be quite annoying for a grower, so, if we want to avoid to get pricked, we have to handle these plants carefully. Some other species, anyway, can almost lack spines and be more or less covered in dense, white hair. Austrocylindropuntiae get different from Cylindropuntiae (Cactaceae endemic in Noth America), also thanks to the thin, papery membrane that can cover Cylindropuntie and which is not present on them; Austrocylindropuntiae, moreover, don't grow seasonally but constantly. The cacti that belongs to Austrocylindropuntia genus are quite easy to grow, since we are talking about usually resistant and hardy plants. During summer, water them regularly, waiting for the soil to get dry before you do it again; they can suffer from root rot, so it is also necessary to use a mineral, well draining substrate. These plants love sun light, but we suggest some partial shade too. If you want to avoid some unpleasant spots on your Austrocylindropuntia epidermis, do not expose it to temperatures below 0°C. In conclusion, the big hint that we can give you if you are interested in the Austrocylindropuntiae world is: arm yourselves with gloves and love, and your cactus will give you big satisfactions for sure!