Espostoopsis dybowskii

The drylands of Bahia

Espostoopsis dybowskii comes from Bahia in northeastern Brazil. It grows in warm, seasonally dry vegetation, where most rain falls during only part of the year.

Bahia’s concentrated rainy season is followed by many dry months. Espostoopsis dybowskii is built around that contrast, storing water while its exposed habitat becomes hot and dry.

Seasonal care for a dry-growing plant

• Winter: A dry winter rest is safer than trying to force growth in weak light.
• Light: Give it very bright light and direct sun after gradual acclimation.
• Watering: Let the mix dry completely before watering again. Keep it almost dry in winter.
• Substrate: Use a highly mineral cactus mix in a pot with an open drainage hole.
• Temperature: Protect it from frost and from cold, wet roots.
• Humidity: Low humidity and strong airflow help keep the woolly surface dry.
• Feeding: Feed lightly once or twice during spring and summer.
• Repotting: Repot only when roots fill the container, using a stable pot only slightly larger than the root system.
• Propagation: This solitary cactus is usually raised from seed. A healthy top or branch can also be rooted after the cut surface calluses.
• Woolly surface: Do not mist or wash the woolly crown, where moisture is difficult to detect.

Troubleshooting Espostoopsis dybowskii

• A dark, soft base: Stop watering and unpot the cactus. Use clean tools to remove rotten roots or stem tissue back to a firm section, let the wound callus fully and restart only sound tissue in dry mineral substrate.
• A narrow, pale growing tip: Tapered new growth indicates that the cactus is growing with insufficient usable light. Increase direct sun gradually and keep it cooler and drier when winter light is inadequate for active growth.
• Mealybugs hidden in the wool: Inspect the crown and stem under a bright light without pressing through the wool. Isolate the cactus and apply a product labelled for mealybugs carefully, avoiding saturation of the stem and root zone.
• Brown tissue beneath the wool: Use a bright light and a tool rather than fingers to part the hairs. A firm dry patch is usually old sun, cold or pressure damage. If tissue is soft, dark or spreading, cut back to a firm section with disinfected tools and let the wound callus fully before watering.

Espostoopsis dybowskii has sharp parts

• Keep this plant away from children and pets because its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear.
• Sharp spines can puncture the mouth, eyes, skin or paws.
• Handle it carefully. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after a serious injury, especially to the eye.

How did Espostoopsis dybowskii get its name?

Espostoopsis means resembling Espostoa. The epithet dybowskii honours the French botanist and agronomist Jean Dybowski.

Franz Buxbaum established the genus Espostoopsis in 1968 in Kakteen, volume 38-39, genus CVa.

Robert Roland-Gosselin first described it as Cereus dybowskii in 1909 in Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France, volume 55, page 695. Franz Buxbaum later placed it in Espostoopsis as Espostoopsis dybowskii in 1968 in Kakteen, volume 38-39, genus CVa.