Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Cactus or Succulent
Grass
Origin
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, South America
North America, United States, Western United States, Southwestern United States, Mexico
Types
Not avilable
Grasses
Number of Varieties
101
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Desert
Dry areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99993-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
9 - 5
Sunset Zone
7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Weeping
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm45.70 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
4.20 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Dark Salmon, Sandy Brown, White, Yellow
White hair and some brown spots on margins and at tips
Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
-
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
-
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Succulent
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Early Summer, Late Spring, Late Winter, Mid Spring
Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Pollution, Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Grafting, Seedlings
Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Medium
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
-
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
-
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
-
Well drained
Sun Exposure
-
Full Sun
Pruning
-
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
-
Beetles, Grasshoppers
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Fine
Foliage Sheen
-
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Butterflies
Allergy
Itchiness
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Hanging Basket, Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
-
Air purification, Erosion control
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Cuts
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Nut
Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for Landscaping
Used to feed livestock
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Houseplant, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
Selenicereus pteranthus
BOUTELOUA gracilis
Common Name
Selenicereus, Moonlight cactus
Blue Grama Grass, Mosquito Grass
In Hindi
moonlight cactus
Bouteloua gracilis
In German
Selenicereus
Bouteloua Gracilis
In French
Selenicereus
Bouteloua aristidoides
In Spanish
Selenicereus
Chondrosum gracile
In Greek
Selenicereus
Bouteloua gracilis
In Portuguese
Selenicereus
Bouteloua Gracilis
In Polish
Selenicereus
Bouteloua Gracilis
In Latin
moonlight cactus
Bouteloua Gracilis
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cyperales
Family
Cactaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Selenicereus
Bouteloua
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Hylocereeae
Cynodonteae
Subfamily
Cactoideae
Chloridoideae
Number of Species
1100
1
27800
👆🏻