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Peruvian Old Man Cactus (Espostoa lanata)

Peruvian Old Man Cactus is a columnar cactus densely covered in long, white, woolly hairs that conceal sharp spines. The hairs protect the plant from intense high-altitude sun and cold. It produces nocturnal, white flowers from a lateral cephalium on mature stems.

Botanical Profile

Family:	Cactaceae (kak-TAY-see-ee)
Genus:	Espostoa (es-POS-toh-uh)
Species:	lanata (la-NA-tuh)
Synonym:	Espostoa lanata var. lanata
Synonym:	Cephalocereus lanatus
Synonym:	Pilocereus lanatus
Synonym:	Cleistocactus lanatus
Synonym:	Espostoa laticornua

Cultivation

Full sun and well-draining cactus mix. Water sparingly. The wool is natural—do not remove. Needs strong light to maintain dense wool. Slow-growing but can reach significant height. The cephalium is a unique flowering structure. A classic "old man" cactus.

Cactus and Succulents: Saguaro Cactus (Carnegiea gigantea): Icon of the Sonoran Desert; Old Man Cactus (Cephalocereus senilis): White-Haired Columnar Cactus; Crenate Orchid Cactus (Epiphyllum crenatum): An Epiphytic Beauty with Fragrant Nocturnal Blooms; Ball Cactus (Parodia magnifica): A Handsome Globe with Silky Yellow Spines and Crown of Flowers; Road Kill Cactus (Consolea rubescens): A Spineless, Flattened Cactus with a Distinctive Habit; Brazilian Prickly Pear (Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis): A Tree-Like Cactus with Flattened Branches; Eve's Needle Cactus (Austrocylindropuntia subulata): A Tree-Like Cholla with Awl-Shaped Leaves; Old Lady Cactus (Mammillaria hahniana): A White-Haired Globe with a Crown of Pink Flowers; Thanksgiving Cactus 'Thor-Britta' (Schlumbergera truncata 'Thor-Britta'): A Holiday Cactus with Distinctive Flowers; Old Man of the Andes (Oreocereus leucotrichus)

Garden Articles

Dutchman's Pipe Cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum)

Apple Cactus (Cereus repandus)

Chenille Prickly Pear (Opuntia aciculata): A Prickly Pear with Hair-Like Glochids Resembling Chenille

Rose Cactus (Pereskia grandifolia): A Leafy, Shrubby Cactus with Rose-Like Flowers

Cochineal Nopal Cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera): The Historic Dye Cactus

Pilosocereus lanuginosus

Old Man of the Andes (Oreocereus celsianus)

Plants

Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris): Spineless Pink-Flowered Prickly Pear

Easter Cactus (Hatiora gaertneri): A Popular Holiday Bloomer with Starry Flowers

Snowball Cactus (Mammilloydia candida): A Dazzling White Globe with Pink-Centered Flowers

Mistletoe Cactus (Rhipsalis baccifera)

Puya venusta (Puya Bromeliad)

Lace Cactus (Echinocereus reichenbachii): A Delicate, Pink-Flowered Cactus

Carpet Weed (Cheiridopsis candidissima): A Silvery, Mat-Forming Mesemb from South Africa