Golden-Spined Cactus Care

Pilosocereus lanuginosus is a stunning cactus native to northern South America and the Caribbean. It can grow up to 10-40 feet tall if given the space. It is a columnar cactus with slender branches.

Pilosocereus is a genus of cacti distributed throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and Brazil. Containing many species, Pilosocereus includes both cacti that are quite commonly used in cultivation and some that are so rare as to be almost unknown outside botanical sources. Their flowers are shaped like tubes and often also blue, and they grow fleshy fruits. In cultivation, they are mostly grown in glasshouses because of their size and need for warmth in the winter. Their name derives from the Latin for “hairy cereus” because of their spiny aureoles, many of which have golden spines. Pilosocereus lanuginosus has a stem that is of a green/blue color and it has golden yellow spines that turn grey with age. It is cylindrical, erect and has close set ribs. Because of it’s upright growth, it is great for indoors and doesn’t take up much space.