Life Span
Perennial
  
Annual and Perennial
  
Type
Cactus or Succulent
  
Herbaceous Perennial
  
Origin
Caribbean, Central America, Northern America, South America
  
Northwestern United States, California, Canada
  
Types
Grafted Gymnocalycium Cultivars, Echinopsis chamaecereus cultivar, Pilosocereus pachycladus, Austrocylindropuntia subulata monstrose
  
Stock, Tenweeks stock, Gillyflower, Brompton Stock
  
Number of Varieties
Not Available
  
Habitat
Desert
  
Cultivated Beds
  
USDA Hardiness Zone
Not Available
  
5-9
  
AHS Heat Zone
Not Available
  
12 - 1
  
Sunset Zone
Not Available
  
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
  
Habit
Not Available
  
Upright/Erect
  
Plant Size
  
  
Plant Color
  
  
Flower Color
Magenta, Red, White, Yellow
  
Light Blue, Lavender, Blue Violet
  
Flower Color Modifier
Not Available
  
Bicolor
  
Fruit Color
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
  
Green
  
Leaf Color in Summer
Several shades of Green
  
Green
  
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green
  
Green
  
Leaf Color in Winter
Several shades of Green
  
Light Green
  
Shape
  
  
Leaf Shape
Globe shaped
  
Oblanceolate , Ovate
  
Thorns
Yes
  
No
  
Plant Season
Summer
  
Spring, Summer
  
Growing Conditions
  
  
Sunlight
Bright direct sunlight
  
Full Sun
  
Growth Rate
Medium
  
Very Fast
  
Type of Soil
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
  
Loam, Sand
  
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
  
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
  
Soil Drainage
Well drained
  
Well drained
  
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Late Spring, Summer
  
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
  
Repeat Bloomer
No
  
No
  
Tolerances
Drought
  
Drought
  
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
  
Container, Ground
  
How to Plant?
Grafting, Seedlings, Transplanting
  
Seedlings
  
Plant Maintenance
Medium
  
Medium
  
Watering Plants
  
  
Watering Requirements
Does not require lot of watering, Water once every two or three weeks, Water when soil is dry
  
Requires regular watering
  
In Summer
Lots of watering
  
Lots of watering
  
In Spring
Moderate
  
Moderate
  
In Winter
Average Water
  
Average Water
  
Soil
  
  
Soil pH
Alkaline
  
Slightly Acidic
  
Soil Type
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
  
Sandy
  
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
  
Not Applicable
  
Sun Exposure
Bright direct sunlight
  
Full Sun, Partial Sun
  
Pruning
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune ocassionally, Remove dead leaves
  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
  
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
  
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Caterpillars, Cochineal insect, Mealybugs, Nematodes, Red spider mite, Rodent, Root rot, Scale, Slugs, Snails, Thripes, Viruses, Worms
  
Not Available
  
Plant Tolerance
Drought
  
Drought
  
Flowers
Yes
  
Showy
  
Flower Petal Number
Not Available
  
Single
  
Fruits
  
  
Showy Fruit
No
  
No
  
Edible Fruit
No
  
No
  
Fragrance
  
  
Fragrant Flower
Yes
  
No
  
Fragrant Fruit
Yes
  
No
  
Fragrant Leaf
No
  
No
  
Fragrant Bark/Stem
No
  
No
  
Showy Foliage
No
  
No
  
Showy Bark
No
  
No
  
Foliage Texture
Not Available
  
Fine
  
Foliage Sheen
Not Available
  
Glossy
  
Evergreen
Yes
  
No
  
Invasive
No
  
No
  
Self-Sowing
No
  
Yes
  
Attracts
Birds
  
Butterflies
  
Allergy
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Uses
  
  
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
  
Not Available
  
Beauty Benefits
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Edible Uses
Yes
  
Yes
  
Environmental Uses
Air purification
  
Air purification
  
Plant Benefits
  
  
Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Hangover
  
Antidote, Aphrodisiac, Expectorant, Stomachic
  
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
  
Flowers, Leaves, Seedpod
  
Other Uses
Employed in herbal medicine, Fine spines and trichomes are used as fiber for weaving, Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
  
Used as a dye
  
Used As Indoor Plant
Yes
  
No
  
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Garden Design
Feature Plant
  
Not Available
  
Botanical Name
Cactaceae
  
Matthiola incana
  
Common Name
Cactus
  
Blue Thimble Flower, Field Gilia, Gillyflower
  
In Hindi
Naagaphanee
  
gillyflower
  
In German
Kaktus
  
Garten-Levkoje
  
In French
Cactus
  
Gillyflower
  
In Spanish
El Cactus
  
Gillyflower
  
In Greek
κάκτος
  
Gillyflower
  
In Portuguese
cacto
  
Matthiola incana
  
In Polish
kaktus
  
Gillyflower
  
In Latin
Cactus
  
Matthiola incana
  
Kingdom
Plantae
  
Plantae
  
Phylum
Tracheophyta
  
Magnoliophyta
  
Class
Dicotyledonae
  
Magnoliopsida
  
Order
Caryophyllales
  
Capparales
  
Family
Cactaceae
  
Polemoniaceae
  
Genus
Not Available
  
Gilia
  
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots
  
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
  
Tribe
Not Available
  
Gilieae
  
Subfamily
Cactoideae, Maihueniodeae, Opuntioideae, Pereskioideae
  
Polemonioideae
  
Number of Species
Not Available