Species · genus Borzicactus · Cactaceae
Silver Torch
Cleistocactus strausii (Heese) Backeb.
Also known as: Silver Torch Cactus · Wooly Torch · Snow Pole
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.
The silver torch cactus
Cleistocactus strausii, known as silver torch, is a columnar cactus that in time forms erect, basally branching stems densely clothed in short white spines. It belongs to the cactus family and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Source: RHS
A native of Bolivia
This species comes from southern Bolivia, part of a genus of erect columnar cacti with ribbed, eventually branching cylindrical stems.
Source: RHS
Sun, dryness, and a light feed
Grown under glass in standard cactus compost, this plant wants full light and low humidity to do well. Water freely through the growing season, then let it go completely dry the rest of the year, and give a dilute, low-nitrogen fertiliser fortnightly through late spring and summer.
Source: RHS
Seed or stem cuttings
New plants can be raised from seed or from stem cuttings.
Source: RHS
Spines, stems, and summer flowers
The stems grow upright and columnar, reaching up to 1.5 metres, their surface densely covered in short white spines that give the plant its silvery cast. In summer, tubular rose-red flowers around 8cm long appear scattered along the stems.
Source: RHS
Watch for mealybugs
Mealybugs are the pest most likely to trouble this cactus. Otherwise it is generally free of disease.
Source: RHS
Low upkeep, no pruning
Silver torch needs no pruning and is considered a low-maintenance plant, well suited to patio or container growing under glass.
Source: RHS
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
Direct sun
≈ every 28 days
Low — average room
8–30 °C
Gritty, fast-draining cactus mix
Stem cuttings or offsets, callused before potting
Dilute cactus feed once or twice in summer
Slow
Dark red flowers on tall mature columns; the silvery 'silver torch'
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.
PrimarySources: 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 — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
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