Species · genus Borzicactus · Cactaceae

Silver Torch

Cleistocactus strausii (Heese) Backeb.

Also known as: Silver Torch Cactus · Wooly Torch · Snow Pole

Growth habit

succulent shrub

Native range

Bolivia

Reference · C. strausii

Cultivars of C. strausii

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under C. strausii yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A columnar succulent cactus from the high, arid slopes of Bolivia, it stores water in its stems and wants gritty, fast-draining mix and strong direct sun. Water deeply but infrequently, only once the mix has dried out completely through the pot — when no moisture is felt several inches down. Sitting wet is the main danger; lean toward under-watering, and reduce further in the cooler, darker months when growth slows.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-28d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 28 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

8–30 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, fast-draining cactus mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings or offsets, callused before potting

Fertilizing

Dilute cactus feed once or twice in summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Dark red flowers on tall mature columns; the silvery 'silver torch'

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-28d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Silver Torch yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.