Maihuenia poeppigii
Maihuenia poeppigii
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Maihuenia poeppigii is one of the most cold-tolerant species in the family Cactaceae, and is known to tolerate temperatures falling as low as -15°c, perhaps even down to -20°c. It grows in the temperate zome of Chile and southern Argentina, with its range including mountainous areas that can be covered by snow for several months of the winter. It is found in humid areas of Chile, where it can rain at almost any part of the year, as well as in drier regions where there is a dry period of 3 - 5 months. Rainfall is concentrated in the winter months, with a mean annual precipitation in the range 400 - 800mm[[1]. An easy plant to grow, it requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil[1]. A relatively fast-growing plant, it can begin fruiting in just a few years from seed[1].
Propagation
Seed - requires a period of cold stratification[1]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Maihuenia+poeppigii>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]ChileFlora — http://www.chileflora.com/index.html ↩︎Not realy a flora, but a lovely site with lots of helpful information for the gardener and an abundance of excellent photos covering over 2,000 species of Chilean plants.
- [2]The Cactus Family — Anderson E.F. · Timber Press; Portland, Oregon · 2001 · ISBN 0-88192-498-9 ↩︎An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
- [3]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.