Species · genus Espostoa · Cactaceae
Cotton Ball Cactus
Espostoa lanata (Kunth) Britton & Rose
Also known as: Peruvian Old Man · Snowball Old Man · Snowball Cactus · New Old-man Cactus · Peruvian Old-man Cactus
Cultivars of E. lanata
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under E. lanata 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.
Espostoa lanata is a columnar cactus in the Cactaceae, its stem wrapped in dense white wool that hints at exposed, sun-bright origins. Treat it as an arid native: give it the brightest spot you have and gritty, fast-draining mix, then water deeply only when the soil has gone completely dry to the bottom of the pot. Standing moisture is the main danger, so err toward the longer interval and cut back further in winter.
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
Direct sun
≈ every 28 days
Low — average room
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
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 imagesSources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-28d)
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Cotton Ball 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.
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