PlantFiles: Turk's Cap Cactus
Melocactus azureus

I got one of these thinking it was going to be a large flowering variety, but once I found the name and did a search, I was very disappointed. I usually only collect large flowering cacti so this one will find a new home.

Brazilian tropical cactus that has a surprising degree of cold hardiness in So Cal... in some areas it probably has to be grown under shade cloth if grown outdoors, at least in cooler winter areas, but in zone 9b and up, seems to do pretty well outdoors. I have had this plant living outdoors in Thousand Oaks for about 8 years where temps routinely dipped into the high and sometimes mid 20s and I haven't even seen cold damage to the plant. I is listed by most sources as a zone 11 plant, but i think that's being pretty pessimistic. Jan 07 freeze in southern California damaged all the Pilosocereus in the yard, destroyed LOTs of Euphorbias, Aloes and even Agaves, yet left his plant untouched.

Gets to a maximum of 8-12" (taller if you include the cephalium). If grown in warm climates in full sun has a bluish cast that fades with age and shade. But younger plants are can have an incredibly pale turquoise coloration that is a great color for landscaping.