Species · genus Cereus · Cactaceae

Apple Cactus

Cereus repandus (L.) Mill.

Also known as: Candelabra Cactus · Giant Club Cactus · Hedge Cactus · Peruvian Apple Cactus · Sweetpotato Cactus

Growth habit

succulent tree

Native range

Aruba, Colombia, Netherlands Antilles, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.

Reference · C. repandus

Cultivars of C. repandus

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

No named cultivars catalogued under C. repandus 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.

Cereus repandus is a tall columnar succulent tree from the arid coasts of northern South America and the southern Caribbean, where it endures strong sun and long dry spells. Grow it in a gritty, fast-draining mix and give it the brightest direct light you can, ideally a south-facing window. Water deeply only when the mix has dried out completely all the way through, and let it stay dry longer in winter; standing moisture rots the roots.

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 14-30d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 30 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 14-30d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Apple 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.