Selenicereus wercklei

Natural range and habitat of Selenicereus wercklei

Selenicereus wercklei is native only to Costa Rica, where it grows in moist to wet forest at about 600–1,100 m.

Its natural habitat is humid and receives regular rainfall.

Care for Selenicereus wercklei

• Position: Let the stems trail from a raised pot or guide them onto bark, cork or a narrow branch where their aerial roots can grip.
• Light: Give bright filtered light with gentle morning or late-day sun.
• Temperature and humidity: Selenicereus wercklei grows comfortably at 18–28 °C. Maintain ambient humidity around 50–60% and shield it from long spells under 15 °C.
• Water: Give regular water while the slender stems are growing. Rewater as the upper mix begins to dry and let excess water drain fully.
• Potting mix: Use a loose cactus mix with bark and coarse material that drains freely while retaining some moisture between waterings.
• Feeding and propagation: Feed lightly while new stems are growing. Let a healthy stem cutting dry at the cut end before rooting it in freely draining potting mix.
• Repotting: Choose a slightly larger container only after the roots become crowded. If the potting mix compacts and no longer drains freely while the roots still fit, replace the mix in a container that still fits the root ball.

Common problems with Selenicereus wercklei

• Slender stems wrinkle between waterings: The plant may be drying too far, or damaged roots may not be taking up enough water. Check the roots and shorten the interval between waterings when the roots are healthy.
• Dark soft tissue spreads from the stem base: The potting mix has stayed too wet. Cut affected tissue back to healthy tissue with a clean tool, discard the rot and reroot healthy sections in fresh potting mix that drains well.
• New stems become unusually thin and pale: The plant needs brighter light. Move it gradually into a brighter filtered position.
• Cottony insects or fixed bumps appear: Check the slender stems and areoles for mealybugs or scale. Remove visible pests and use a treatment labelled for ornamental cacti and the identified pest, following the label for repeat applications.

Keep Selenicereus wercklei away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

Where does the name Selenicereus wercklei come from?

Selenicereus combines Selene, the Greek moon goddess, with Cereus, a cactus name associated with a wax taper or candle. The species epithet wercklei honours the German botanist Karl Wercklé.

Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose established the genus Selenicereus in 1909 in Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, volume 12, page 429.

Frédéric Albert Constantin Weber first described it as Cereus wercklei in 1902 in Bulletin du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris), volume 8, page 460. Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose later placed it in Selenicereus as Selenicereus wercklei in 1920 in The Cactaceae, volume 2, page 208.