Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Desert
Range: South America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Rare

About

This cactus grows in hanging clusters along the steep cliffs of Bolivia. Its long, soft white spines can reach lengths of over eight feet as they dangle downward.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Cleistocactus
Species: Cleistocactus colademononis