Pachycereus pringlei

Botanical identity and natural origin of Pachycereus pringlei

Pachycereus pringlei is native to north-western Mexico, with its range extending to Durango. It grows into a large tree-like cactus in desert and dry shrubland and is widely known as the Mexican giant cardon or cardón. Its thick stems store water through the long dry periods of this desert habitat.

Care for Pachycereus pringlei

• Light: Give it full sun or very strong direct indoor light. Young plants and plants that have spent time in lower light should be introduced to intense midday sun gradually.
• Temperature: Pachycereus pringlei grows steadily at about 18–30 °C. Move it out of the coldest area before temperatures remain below 10 °C.
• Humidity: Keep the air fairly dry around the thick stems and provide good circulation.
• Water: During active growth, water thoroughly and let the cactus mix dry completely. In cooler periods when growth slows, keep the mix dry.
• Potting mix: Use a well-draining cactus mix with plenty of grit, pumice or perlite.
• Feeding: Feed lightly with a cactus fertiliser during active growth.
• Repotting: Move to a larger pot when the root ball fills the container and needs more space. If the heavy stem needs more support earlier, use a heavier or more stable pot. Increase pot size when the roots need additional room.
• Propagation: Grow from seed or root a healthy stem-tip cutting after the cut surface has dried.

Problems with Pachycereus pringlei

• The stem base softens or darkens: The roots have stayed wet for too long. Remove rotten tissue to firm healthy tissue with a clean tool, discard the removed rotten tissue, let the cut surface dry, and root the healthy cutting in fresh dry cactus mix.
• New growth becomes narrow or pale: The cactus needs stronger light for sturdy stem growth. Increase direct sun gradually.
• A young plant develops a dry bleached patch after moving into stronger sun: The tissue has scorched before it could acclimate. Reduce intense midday exposure and increase direct sun more gradually.
• Cottony clusters or brown raised insects appear around the ribs: Check for mealybugs and scale insects, both of which can affect this species. Move the cactus away from nearby plants, remove visible insects, and use a treatment labelled for indoor ornamental plants. Repeat only at the interval stated on the label.

Pachycereus pringlei 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.

What does Pachycereus pringlei mean, and who first published it?

Pachycereus combines Greek pachys, meaning thick, with Cereus, referring to its stout columnar stems. The species epithet pringlei commemorates the American botanist Cyrus Guernsey Pringle.

Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose established the genus Pachycereus in 1909 in Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, volume 12, page 420.

Sereno Watson first described it as Cereus pringlei in 1885 in Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, volume 20, page 368. Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose later placed it in Pachycereus as Pachycereus pringlei in 1909 in Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, volume 12, page 422.