Maihuenia poeppigii, commonly known in Chile as maihuén or hierba del guanaco,[3][4] is a succulent cactus shrub native to Chile and Argentina.

M. poeppigii is remarkably tolerant to moisture[5] and cold temperatures.

[6] The specific epithet poepigii commemorates Eduard Pöppig, a 19th-century German naturalist who explored South America.

[7] This is a cactus species forming dense cushions often consisting of hundreds of individual segments.

The plant's specific physical characteristics are listed below: