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Echinopsis thelegona; photograph Bernard Loison, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SABernard Loison, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Echinopsis thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley

Cactaceae · Argentina Northwest · listed by its genus as a cactus or succulent

English names not checked: Wikidata's common names were not read for this page.

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Echinopsis thelegona, photograph Daderot, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsEchinopsis thelegona, photograph Chhe, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsEchinopsis thelegona, photograph Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsEchinopsis thelegona, photograph Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsEchinopsis thelegona, photograph Dick Culbert, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsEchinopsis thelegona, photograph Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons 12 photographs ›
Habitat figuresfrom few records
Coldest month, mean nightly low
8.0°C
Jul at the habitat, not a floor; extremes not used (the weather cell's ground is too far off) CHELSA
Warmest month, mean daily high
28°C
Jan and Dec at the habitat CHELSA
Rain a year (median across the range)
962mm
8 months of 25 mm or more in the median year CHELSA
Open-sky light
20–39DLI
Lowest to highest month (DLI) CHELSA
The year in your months, northern hemisphere
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Wet summers: the rain comes May to September (November to March at the habitat), read as a summer growing season. rain rule, CHELSA
Northern hemisphere unless you set your site. The chart is in the habitat's months.

From few records: 3 records in 3 grid cells. The records.

Summary

Echinopsis thelegona is a species of cactus in the Echinopsis genus.

Quoted from Wikipedia, "Echinopsis thelegona", CC BY-SA 4.0.

About the genus · Echinopsis

Echinopsis is a genus of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. As of November 2025, Plants of the World Online used a broad circumscription of the genus, resulting in about 80 accepted species, ranging from large and treelike types to small globose cacti. The name derives from echinos hedgehog or sea urchin, and opsis appearance, a reference to these plants' dense coverings of spines.

Quoted from Wikipedia, "Echinopsis", CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cultivation

Grouped as a cactus or succulent, listed under the genus Echinopsis in the archetype table, and Kew describes it as “succulent subshrub”.

Seasons

The rain rule reads a summer growing season: 70% of the median year's rain (770 mm of 962 mm) falls in November to March, warmer than the year (wet-season mean 23.0 °C against a yearly mean of 19.0 °C). Months are the habitat's, southern hemisphere; shifted six months for a northern-hemisphere collection: May to September.

Rain

962 mm in the median year at the habitat, 770 mm of it November to March. Wettest month January at 207 mm, driest months (2 at 9 mm). Across the grid cells of the range the year's total runs 557 mm to 1,006 mm, the 10th to 90th percentile of each cell's own year. The median of the cells' own yearly totals, 962 mm, is the year's rain at the top of the page; the 962 mm here is the median year's, the twelve monthly medians added, which the rain rule reads. Habitat calendar, southern hemisphere; median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA.

Light

Open sky over the habitat: 20 to 39 mol/m²/day across the year (daily light integral, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA; the lowest 10th-percentile month across the cells is 20, the highest 90th-percentile month 41).

Warmth and air
Temperature

Monthly means: the coldest month's mean nightly low 8.0 °C in July (across the grid cells of the range 7.9 °C to 8.3 °C), the warmest month's mean daily high 28.1 °C in December (median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). Cold floor: none read. The nearest figure is 8.0 °C, the coldest month's mean nightly low, July, in the median year (CHELSA); a month's mean of its nightly lows is warmer than the nights a floor is read from. The daily extremes were read at a weather cell whose ground is too far above or below the typical spot to correct for, and are not used.

Humidity

Relative humidity at the habitat: 55 to 67% across the year (monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). A figure about the air, saying nothing about how the plant takes water.

How this section is made

Each card states this species' habitat figures with their sources, and what two fixed rules read from them; nothing here says what the plant does, wants or tolerates. The rules · the terms.

Seasons. Read from the median year of CHELSA monthly rainfall and mean temperature across the grid cells of the range: the rain rule takes the smallest set of months carrying 70% of the rain and calls it winter when its mean is more than half a degree below the year's, summer when more than that above, and neither in between; the temperature rule, used only under 120 mm, names the cooler six months when they are at least a degree cooler than the other six. Months are shifted for the other hemisphere only where the temperature curve moves 4 °C or more and the habitat lies 10° or more from the equator. A reading of the curves, not an observation of the plant.

Rain. CHELSA monthly precipitation, median year across the grid cells of the range. The rain that falls where the species is recorded; nothing about how the plant takes water.

Light. CHELSA shortwave radiation at each envelope cell, a daily-mean flux taken to a daily total and converted at 2.07 mol of PAR per MJ. The sky over the habitat, measured; what reaches a plant under a rock, a shrub or a shade cloth is not.

Temperature. CHELSA monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range. No cold floor is read without a daily extremes series; the coldest month's mean nightly low named in its sentence is not one. Not a measured survival limit for any plant in a pot.

Humidity. CHELSA relative humidity, median year across the grid cells of the range.

Group. Listed under the genus Echinopsis in the archetype table, and Kew describes it as “succulent subshrub”. A group is taken only where Kew's description of the species agrees with the table's listing. The table gives no figure and no prose; the cold floor is the habitat's alone.

Climate across the habitat

From few records: this habitat climate is read from 3 records in 3 grid cells; a page says so under 12 records or 5 cells, and shows the figures as read.

Habitat months, southern hemisphere

Habitat climate of Echinopsis thelegona through the yearWarmest months January and December, mean daily high 28 °C; coldest month July, mean nightly low 8.0 °C; 962 mm of rain in the median year (the twelve monthly medians added). Medians across the range, from CHELSA. Habitat months, southern hemisphere.5°10°15°20°25°30°35°°C · day and nightcold quarter050100150200250mm rainDLI 20–39RH 55–67%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
day night rain medians and 10th–90th percentile across 3 habitat cells, CHELSA cold quarter: the three months around the coldest month's mean nightly low DLI, mol/m²/dayRH %each on its own scale
Figures by month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Day °C28 / 28–3027 / 27–2926 / 26–2723 / 23–2521 / 20–2219 / 19–2119 / 19–2022 / 22–2324 / 23–2526 / 26–2827 / 27–2928 / 28–30
Night °C20 / 20–2119 / 19–2018 / 18–1915 / 15–1612 / 12–129 / 9–98 / 8–810 / 10–1012 / 11–1215 / 15–1617 / 17–1819 / 19–21
Rain mm207 / 116–212162 / 90–168147 / 79–15563 / 36–6827 / 16–2912 / 7–149 / 7–119 / 5–1014 / 11–1658 / 36–63102 / 65–106152 / 90–154
DLI38 / 37–3935 / 35–3728 / 28–3024 / 23–2621 / 21–2320 / 20–2223 / 23–2428 / 28–2933 / 33–3535 / 35–3837 / 37–4039 / 38–41
RH %63 / 60–6464 / 60–6566 / 63–6767 / 63–6766 / 61–6664 / 58–6560 / 56–6157 / 54–5855 / 53–5657 / 55–5859 / 57–6060 / 58–62

The daily extremes were not used: the correction for elevation, -1257 m, is beyond the 1,000 m either way that a lapse rate is applied over, so the weather cell's ground is other terrain than the typical spot's. So no cold floor is read for this species, and the coldest month's mean nightly low is not taken as one. What that cell gave, so corrected, over 44 years: absolute minimum -2.5 °C, 1st-percentile night 5.5 °C.

How this section is made
Each figure is the median across the 3 grid cells holding the 3 in-range records, with the 10th–90th percentile span across those cells after the slash where it differs. A dash is a month one or more of those cells has no figure for in the grid (a variable CHELSA does not carry there), so no median is taken rather than one over fewer cells. Extremes and elevation were read at a typical spot in the range, cell 2329:2293 (-26.475, -65.325). Normals: CHELSA V2.1 1981–2010 climatology, 0.05° cells (each the mean of ~36 1 km pixels). Across the range: median and 10th–90th percentile of each month across the 3 distinct grid cells holding 3 of the 3 in-range records; extremes and elevation at the typical cell 2329:2293 (its coldest month's mean nightly low nearest the median across cells); its position is the cell centre. Extremes: NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -26.50_-65.625, lapse-corrected -1257 m at 6.5 °C/km. Elevation: ETOPO 2022, 772 m (cell mean).

Natural habitat

Native range as published by WCVP; the marker is where the records are densest and decides nothing: the climate was read across the cells of the in-range records placed well enough to read one, not at the marker.
Openly licensed records inside the range, framed on where they fall.

This species has no GBIF key of its own. Its records are GBIF's under the key of the name Kew's World Checklist holds as this plant: 10906808 (Soehrensia thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) Schlumpb., 23 records). No name was matched to GBIF; the keys are read from Kew's synonymy. How.

NativeArgentina Northwest · regions are the level-3 units of the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, as Kew's World Checklist records ranges, some under historical names such as Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia (how).
Map marker-25.62, -65.62 · in the densest population, 20 records (95% of those in range)
Kew's description“succulent subshrub” · “desert or dry shrubland” · quoted from WCVP, RBG Kew (CC BY 4.0); not derived here
Evidence usedThe map marker rests on all 21 georeferenced records inside the native range; the climate across the range on the 3 of them placed to within 10 km; the map shows only the 8 openly licensed ones, which alone would put the marker 14 km away. 1 record outside the WCVP native range not used. Under a dozen records behind the climate. 18 in-range records are placed to worse than 10 km, or with no stated accuracy (admitted only as a person's observation to three decimals), and stay on the map but off the climate.
Other GBIF keysRecords also from GBIF's key 10906808 (Soehrensia thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) Schlumpb.): Kew's file holds it as Soehrensia thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) Schlumpb. (synonym under Echinopsis thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley); 23 records, from GBIF's download.
How this section is made
The map marker: the openly licensed record nearest the middle of the densest 1° population of the 21 in-range records; it decides nothing. Records outside the native range, living specimens and records marked introduced are not used; which records count.

Photographs

Echinopsis thelegona, photograph 1did not loadEchinopsis thelegona, photograph 2did not loadEchinopsis thelegona, photograph 3did not loadEchinopsis thelegona, photograph 4did not loadEchinopsis thelegona, photograph 5did not loadEchinopsis thelegona, photograph 6did not load

Photographs: Daderot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Chhe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (2); Dick Culbert, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Similar habitat climate The 6 nearest by mean daily high, mean nightly low and rain, month by month. How.

Tillandsia bandensis Tillandsia bandensis Bromeliaceae Photo: CC BY, Lucila TrussiEncyclia argentinensis Encyclia argentinensis Orchidaceae Photo: CC BY, Tomás Carranza PeralesTillandsia didisticha Tillandsia didisticha Bromeliaceae Photo: CC BY, Rosario DouglasCereus forbesii Cereus forbesii Cactaceae Photo: CC0, author not statedVachellia aroma Vachellia aroma Fabaceae Photo: CC BY, Rocío Esmeralda PoseHarrisia pomanensis Harrisia pomanensis Midnight-lady Photo: CC BY, Pablo H Capovilla

Other Echinopsis 48 in the reference

Echinopsis albispinosa Echinopsis albispinosa Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Kay UrbanEchinopsis ancistrophora Echinopsis ancistrophora Cactaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, Pete Cupial-JonesEchinopsis angelesiae Echinopsis angelesiae Cactaceae Photo: CC0, DaderotEchinopsis arachnacantha Echinopsis arachnacantha Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Paul KaluschkeEchinopsis aurea Echinopsis aurea Cactaceae Photo: CC0, author not statedEchinopsis backebergii Echinopsis backebergii Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Paul KaluschkeEchinopsis bridgesii Echinopsis bridgesii Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, msscactiEchinopsis bruchii Echinopsis bruchii Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Yazz'Echinopsis calochlora Echinopsis calochlora Cactaceae Photo: CC0, author not statedEchinopsis calorubra Echinopsis calorubra Cactaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, Michael WolfEchinopsis camarguensis Echinopsis camarguensis Cactaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, Frank VincentzEchinopsis cardenasiana Echinopsis cardenasiana Cactaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, Pete Cupial-Jones all 49 ›

Names & registers

Also known as Trichocereus thelegonus; Cereus thelegonus; Soehrensia thelegona. (WCVP, RBG Kew)

IPNIPOWOWikidataWFOWikipedia

The record

Family
Cactaceae
Described by
(F.A.C.Weber) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
Native to
Argentina Northwest
Wild records
21 in range · 8 open

Every figure here is derived from public data by a stated rule and names its source; nothing about this species is written for its page by a person or by AI, apart from the marked, credited quotations. How →

Where this page came from built 2026-10-22
Kew's names (WCVP) kew.names answeredas of 2026-06-04Kew's entry Echinopsis thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley (plant_name_id 2783677), read from Kew's names file
GBIF species record gbif.species not askedGBIF's backbone holds no one accepted species of this name, and a name it holds only as another species' synonym is not taken for this one, so GBIF's records were not asked
GBIF synonyms gbif.synonyms not askedGBIF's backbone holds no one accepted species of this name, and a name it holds only as another species' synonym is not taken for this one, so GBIF's records were not asked
GBIF common names gbif.vernacular not askedGBIF's backbone holds no one accepted species of this name, and a name it holds only as another species' synonym is not taken for this one, so GBIF's records were not asked
WCVP native range wcvp.distribution answeredas of 2026-06-04
GBIF occurrence records gbif.occurrences answeredas of 2026-10-21this species has no GBIF key of its own; its records are read under GBIF's keys for the names Kew's file holds as this plant, never by a name matched; GBIF occurrence download https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.hbdw64, of 2026-10-21; 23 records of GBIF's key 10906808, Soehrensia thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) Schlumpb. (Kew's file holds it as Soehrensia thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) Schlumpb. (synonym under Echinopsis thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley)): the GBIF download
Habitat climate climate answeredasked 2026-10-22
Daily extremes (NASA POWER) climate.extremes answeredasked 2026-10-22NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -26.50_-65.625, lapse-corrected -1257 m at 6.5 °C/km; read, and set aside: the correction for elevation, -1257 m, is beyond the 1,000 m either way that a lapse rate is applied over, so the weather cell's ground is other terrain than the typical spot's, so no cold floor is shown
Wikidata wikidata answeredasked 2026-10-22found by Kew's IPNI identifier 88523-2, POWO 88523-2
Wikipedia wikipedia answeredasked 2026-10-22
iNaturalist photographs, wild inat.photos.wild not asked
iNaturalist photographs, cultivated inat.photos.cultivated not asked
GBIF media gbif.media not askedGBIF's backbone holds no one accepted species of this name, and a name it holds only as another species' synonym is not taken for this one, so GBIF's records were not asked
Wikimedia Commons commons answeredasked 2026-10-22
OpenAlex papers openalex not askednot yet asked for this reference; a later fill takes the papers from OpenAlex's snapshot

Every source is recorded as having answered, reported nothing, refused, failed, not been asked, or answered twice where one answer is taken (“not taken: two items answered”), and, for a source asked when this page was built, when: the figures are as the source held them that day; a source read from a file (Kew's World Checklist, a GBIF download) says "as of" the file's day instead; a row carried from an earlier build of the page names that build instead. Only “nothing to report” is ever shown as an absence. Records came from 7 datasets via GBIF.org; each carries its own licence.

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