Copiapoa

Copiapoa
Copiapoa humilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Tribe:	Notocacteae
Genus:	Copiapoa Britton & Rose
Type species
Copiapoa marginata

Copiapoa is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, from the dry coastal deserts, particularly the Atacama Desert, of northern Chile.

Description

Copiapoa comprises 32 morphologically defined species and five heterotypic subspecies. ^[1] The species in this genus form dense cushions of hundreds of large, individual plants or produce only solitary plants. The shoots are spherical or elongated cylindrical. The spines, which are usually present, are variably shaped. On the apex, the species are usually densely woolly-haired. The ribs are clearly developed. These species vary in form from spherical to slightly columnar and in color from a brownish to blue-green bodies. They have warty ribs and spiny areoles, and they usually produce tubular yellow flowers, which grow from woolly crowns on the apex in summer. They are bell- to funnel-shaped and open during the day. The short, circular pericarp is glabrous. The flower tube is short and broad. The small, smooth fruits contain large, shiny, black seeds. ^[2]

Taxonomy

Pilocopiapoa F.Ritter has been brought into synonymy with this genus. Some authorities also include here the genus Blossfeldia .

Species

As of January 2023 ^[update] , Plants of the World Online accepted the following species. ^[3] In the list, they have been separated into sections. ^{[4] [5]}

Subgenus	Image	Scientific name	Distribution
Pilocopiapoa(F.Ritter) Doweld—Ritter		Copiapoa solaris (F.Ritter) F.Ritter	Chile (Antofagasta to NW. Atacama)
		Copiapoa australis (Hoxey) Helmut Walter & Larridon	Chile (Atacama)
Unplaced		Copiapoa laui Diers	Chile (Antofagasta to NW. Atacama)
MammillopoaHelmut Walter & Larridon		Copiapoa humilis (Phil.) Hutchison	Chile (Antofagasta).
Copiapoa sect. Cinerei		Copiapoa ahremephiana N.P.Taylor & G.J.Charles	Chile (W. & SW. Antofagasta).
		Copiapoa gigantea Backeb.	Chile (Antofagasta to N. Atacama)
		Copiapoa cinerea (Phil.) Britton & Rose	Chile (Antofagasta to Atacama)
Copiapoa sect. Copiapoa		Copiapoa angustiflora Helmut Walter, G.J.Charles & Mächler	Chile (SW. Antofagasta)
		Copiapoa aphanes Mächler & Helmut Walter	Chile (SW. Antofagasta)
		Copiapoa atacamensis Middled.	Chile (Antofagasta to NW. Atacama)
		Copiapoa calderana F.Ritter	Chile (Antofagasta to Atacama)
		Copiapoa cinerascens (Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose	Chile (SW. Antofagasta to NW. Atacama).
		Copiapoa decorticans N.P.Taylor & G.J.Charles	Chile (Antofagasta to Atacama)
		Copiapoa desertorum F.Ritter	Chile (Antofagasta to NW. Atacama)
		Copiapoa esmeraldana F.Ritter	Chile (SW. Antofagasta to NW. Atacama)
		Copiapoa grandiflora F.Ritter	Chile (SW. Antofagasta to NW. Atacama).
		Copiapoa hypogaea F.Ritter	Chile (SW. Antofagasta to NW. Atacama).
		Copiapoa leonensis I.Schaub & Keim	Chile (Atacama).
		Copiapoa longispina F.Ritter	Chile (Atacama)
		Copiapoa longistaminea F.Ritter	Chile.
		Copiapoa marginata (Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose	Chile (SW. Atacama to NW. Coquimbo)
		Copiapoa megarhiza Britton & Rose	Chile (Atacama).
		Copiapoa mollicula F.Ritter	Chile (Atacama to NW. Coquimbo).
		Copiapoa montana F.Ritter	Chile (SW. Antofagasta)
		Copiapoa rupestris F.Ritter	Chile (Antofagasta).
		Copiapoa serpentisulcata F.Ritter	Chile (SW. Antofaga to NW. Atacama).
		Copiapoa taltalensis (Werderm.) Looser	Chile (SW. Antofagasta).
Echinopoa Doweld		Copiapoa coquimbana (Karw. ex Rümpler) Britton & Rose	Chile (SW. Antofagasta to Coquimbo)
		Copiapoa corralensis I.Schaub & Keim	Chile (Atacama)
		Copiapoa echinoides (Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose	Chile (Atacama to NW. Coquimbo).
		Copiapoa fiedleriana (K.Schum.) Backeb.	Chile (SW. Antofagasta to NW. Coquimbo)
		Copiapoa fusca I.Schaub & Keim	Chile (Atacama).
		Copiapoa malletiana (Cels ex Salm-Dyck) Backeb.	Chile (Atacama)
		Copiapoa pendulina F.Ritter	Chile (Coquimbo)
		Copiapoa schulziana I.Schaub & Keim	Chile (Atacama).

See also

• Copiapó (the largest city of the Atacama region)
• Pan de Azúcar National Park

References

1. Larridon, Isabel; Walter, Helmut E.; Guerrero, Pablo C.; Duarte, Milén; Cisternas, Mauricio A.; Hernández, Carol Peña; Bauters, Kenneth; Asselman, Pieter; Goetghebeur, Paul; Samain, Marie-Stéphanie (2015). "An integrative approach to understanding the evolution and diversity of Copiapoa(Cactaceae), a threatened endemic Chilean genus from the Atacama Desert". American Journal of Botany. 102 (9): 1506–1520. doi: 10.3732/ajb.1500168 . PMID   26373974.
2. Brickell, Christopher, ed. (2008). The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 302. ISBN   9781405332965.
3. "Copiapoa Britton & Rose - Plants of the World Online". Plants of the World Online. 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
4. Larridon, Isabel; Walter, Helmut E.; Guerrero, Pablo C.; Duarte, Milén; Cisternas, Mauricio A.; Hernández, Carol Peña; Bauters, Kenneth; Asselman, Pieter; Goetghebeur, Paul; Samain, Marie-Stéphanie (2015). "An integrative approach to understanding the evolution and diversity of Copiapoa (Cactaceae), a threatened endemic Chilean genus from the Atacama Desert". American Journal of Botany. 102 (9). Wiley: 1506–1520. doi: 10.3732/ajb.1500168 . ISSN   0002-9122. PMID   26373974.
5. Kattermann, F (2018). "Molecular Study of the Genus Copiapoa (Cactaceae) Part I". Cactus and Succulent Journal. 90 (94): 284–294. doi:10.2985/015.090.0408 (inactive 11 July 2025).

External links

• From Caldera to Copiapo, a collection of images of various species
• Cactuspedia Copiapoa
• CactiGuide Copiapoa