Care of the cacti Echinopsis aurea or Golden Easter Lily Cactus |
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The genus Echinopsis, family Cactaceae, comprises 150 species of cactus native to South America. Some species are: Echinopsis aurea, Echinopsis atacamensis, Echinopsis ancistrophora, Echinopsis oxygona, Echinopsis chiloensis, Echinopsis candicans, Echinopsis subdenudata, Echinopsis chamaecereus, Echinopsis pachanoi, Echinopsis mamillosa, Echinopsis bruchii, Echinopsis tarijensis, Echinopsis schieliana, Echinopsis spachiana, Echinopsis schickendantzii, Echinopsis rhodotricha, Echinopsis huascha, Echinopsis peruviana. Common name: Golden Easter Lily Cactus. This species is native to Northern Argentina. They are cacti with a greyish green color and cylindrical bearing that reach 20 cm (7.87") in height; they can produce suckers. They have 12 to 18 ribs with rounded tubercles and woolly areoles with 8-11 dark radial spines and 1 to 4 central spines. The large yellow flowers appear on the side of the cactus. They bloom in summer; the flowers last a few days but the plant produces them in stages. They are used in pots and planters for windows, patios, terraces and indoors. Echinopsis aurea needs very sunny exposure and high temperatures. Indoors it should be placed next to a window that receives a lot of sun. In winter they should not suffer temperatures below 3 ºC (37.4 ºF). The soil can be a mixture, in equal parts, of leaf mulch or heather soil and coarse siliceous sand. The transplant is done in spring. Water in summer and spring regularly waiting for the substrate to be dry. From autumn space the waterings; do not water in winter. Fertilize in mid-spring with mineral cactus fertilizer. They do not need pruning. If there is no excess watering, they do not present pest and disease problems. They propagate by seeds sown in spring in a sandy substrate; they germinate and grow relatively quickly. |
Images of the cacti Echinopsis aurea or Golden Easter Lily Cactus |
 Echinopsis aurea  Echinopsis aurea  Echinopsis aurea |