Scientific name:  Austrocylindropuntia malyana

Origin:  From Southern Peru, northern Bolivia, above  3000 m (up to 4500-4800mt)

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Synonyms:  

• Austrocylindropuntia lagopus
• Opuntia malyana
• Tephrocactus malyanus
• Opuntia lagopus
• Tephrocactus lagopus
• Maihueniopsis lagopus

Cultivation:  Not easy, because of the mountain environment in which the plants live, they need as much direct sun light as possible to encourage the heaviest spines an wool formation, plants in shaded positions grows etiolated and fail to produce the typical hairy covering. They need to be kept in a cool place during the winter rest (at 0 to -10°C) this is important for the flowers as well as for their health.
They are quite winter hardy and can be cultivated outdoor, if adequately protected from the rain and kept perfectly dry.  Needs good drainage, water sparingly  (rot prone).
 

Propagation: Seeds are seldom available and extremely difficult to germinate,  best reproduced by cutting that frequently doesn't succeed to produce roots or roots very slowly and unpredictably. For this reason this plant is often  grafted.