Wikimedia Commons
Cactaceae
Lava Cactus
Brachycereus nesioticus
Pioneer spirit and endurance.
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Brachycereus
- Native to
- Galapagos Islands
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- cactus
- Height
- 1-2 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- volcanic rock, lava fields
- Water
- very low
- Hardiness
- 10-12
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- It is one of the first plants to colonize fresh lava flows in the Galapagos Islands.
- Young stems are bright yellow-orange and darken to gray-brown with age.
- Its flowers bloom only at dawn and close within a few hours, making them rarely seen by visitors.
- The species is endemic to the Galapagos and found nowhere else on Earth.
- It grows in dense clusters that gradually break down the lava rock, creating soil for other plants to follow.
Color meanings
0
colonization
1
tenacity
2
new beginnings