Species · genus Cereus · Cactaceae

Lady Of The Night Cactus

Cereus hexagonus (L.) Mill.

Also known as: Queen-of-the-night · Blue Cereus · Tall Columnar Cactus

Growth habit

succulent tree

Native range

Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles

Reference · C. hexagonus

Cultivars of C. hexagonus

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

No named cultivars catalogued under C. hexagonus 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, tree-forming cactus native to arid and seasonally dry regions of northern South America, this is a water-storing succulent that wants bright direct sun and gritty, fast-draining mix. Water deeply but infrequently, letting the soil dry out completely before watering again — wait until the top several inches of mix are fully dry. It rots if left sitting in moisture, so err toward keeping it too dry rather than too wet.

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

10–32 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, fast-draining cactus and succulent mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings callused then rooted in dry mix

Fertilizing

Dilute cactus feed once or twice in summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Large night-blooming white flowers on mature plants

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 Lady Of The Night Cactus 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.