Why Plants Die
Theme
Theme

Easter Lily Cactus

Echinopsis oxygona, Cactaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Night-Blooming Hedge-Hogs, Pink Easter Lily Cactus, red Easter lily cactus and Sea-Urchin Cactus.

Easter Lily Cactus (Echinopsis oxygona), the whole plant.
PtrQs, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exception
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H2 — 1–5°C 1–5 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
It grows quickly for a cactus, so it needs a bit more water than some other cacti. Water less in the winter months.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
During growth water moderately; while dormant water sparingly.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Give a balanced liquid fertiliser two or three times during the growing season.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Offsets form and can be used to start new plants once they are big enough. Seeds are another option.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Increase from seed or offsets.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by mealybugs.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Mealybugs can occur. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Flowers of Easter Lily Cactus (Echinopsis oxygona).
FlowersPtrQs, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Easter Lily Cactus (Echinopsis oxygona) growing wild.
In the wildChris English, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Echinopsis oxygona, also known as Eyries cactus, Easter lily cactus or sea-urchin cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, native to south Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. Some species that have been described separately, including Echinopsis eyriesii and Echinopsis tubiflora, are now considered to be synonymous. The features of the species include a large flower, with sharply pointed lavender or white petals, and a sweet scent.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
S. Brazil to NE. Argentina
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
South Brazil to Northeast Argentina
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
succulent subshrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Herbaceous Perennial, Succulent; habit clumping, erect
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 10–12 in; width 12–24 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0-0.1 metre after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers pink, white; blooms in spring, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers white in summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

Usually grown as a houseplant.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Other Echinopsis

More of the Cactaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.