| General Description | Espostoa melanostele is a flowering cactus covered with white woolly hairs and bristly spines. |
| ID Characteristic | Branches from its base, ribbed, areoles close-set, non-flowering are covered entirely with dense white or pale brown hairs and long spines. Flowers grow from an area of dense fleece, the cephalium, near the stem apex. The cephalium can be white, yellow or brown; flower perianth is white. |
| Shape | Columnar. |
| Cultivation | Grow in a greenhouse at 10° - 15° C in standard cactus compost containing moderate to high inorganic content, more than 50% grit at a pH of 6 - 7.5. Maintain low humidity and keep out of the sun in hot weather. Keep dry from mid-autumn to early spring but mist lightly on warm days in late winter. |
| Notable Specimens | Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario, Canada. |
| Flower Description | Relatively broad, tubular, white perianth with a rather unpleasant scent may open once the plant is about 90 cm tall. |
| Fruit Description | Yellow-white to dull red, 5 cm. |
| Colour Description | Hairs are white or pale brown, spines are yellow when young and almost black later on, cephalium is white, yellow or brown, perianth white, fruit yellow-white to dull red. |
| Texture Description | Woolly with sharp spines. |
