Oreocereus trollii

Last updated

Oreocereus trollii
Ses Salines - Botanicactus - Oreocereus trollii 03 ies.jpg
A mature O. trollii
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Oreocereus
Species:
O. trollii
Binomial name
Oreocereus trollii
(Kupper) Backeb.

Oreocereus trollii, commonly known as the Old Man of the Andes cactus, is a species of cacti native to Argentina and Bolivia. [2] [3] Though listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, the plant is collected extensively, and in some areas is threatened. [4]

Contents

Description

Slow growing, O. trollii produces red flowers, typically after reaching several feet in height. [2] Oreocereus trollii grows with shoots that branch out from the base, forms small groups and reaches heights of up to 50 cm (20 in). The short, columnar, light green shoots reach a diameter of 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 3.9 in) and are densely wrapped in wool. There are 15 to 25 strongly tuberous ribs. The white areoles on it are covered with wool up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long. The resulting spines are yellow, reddish or brown. The strong, subulate three to five central spines are up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long and darker in color at the top. The 10 to 15 radial spines are bristle-like. [5]

The pink to crimson flowers are up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long. The fruits are spherical.

Distribution

Oreocereus trollii is distributed in the Bolivian departments of Chuquisaca, Oruro, Potosí and Tarija and in the Argentine province of Jujuy in the puna vegetation at altitudes of 3000 to 4000 meters.

Taxonomy

Named after Wilhelm Troll, [6] its common name comes from the abundant white hairs surrounding the plant which serve to protect it from scorching sunlight and frosts in its mountain habitat. [7] The first description as Cereus trollii was made in 1929 by Walter Kupper. [8] Curt Backeberg placed the species in the genus Oreocereus in 1936. [9] Nomenclature synonyms are Borzicactus trollii (Kupper) Kimnach (1960), Echinopsis trollii (Kupper) Anceschi & Magli (2013), Pilocereus trollii Kupper (1929) and Borzicactus celsianus var. trollii (Kupper) G.D.Rowley (1986)


Related Research Articles

<i>Cleistocactus strausii</i> Species of cactus

Cleistocactus strausii, the silver torch or wooly torch, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Cactaceae. It is native to mountainous regions of Department Tarija, Bolivia, at 1,500–3,000 m (4,921–9,843 ft).

<i>Obregonia</i> Genus of cacti

Obregonia, the artichoke cactus, is a monotypic genus of cacti, containing the species Obregonia denegrii. The species is endemic to the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico.

<i>Oreocereus</i> Genus of cacti

Oreocereus is a genus of cacti, known only from high altitudes of the Andes. Its name means "mountain cereus", formed from the Greek prefix oreo- and the Neo-Latin cereus, meaning wax or torch.

<i>Yavia</i> Genus of cacti

Yavia cryptocarpa is a species of cactus and the only species of the newly discovered genus Yavia. The genus is named after Argentina's department Yavi, Jujuy Province, where the plant is endemic to sparsely vegetated rocky slopes. The plant is also sometimes put in the tribe Notocacteae. The specific epithet cryptocarpa refers to the plant being a cryptocarp. This means that the fruits are formed inside the plant's body, thus being only visible when the plant shrinks in the drought period.

<i>Cleistocactus winteri</i> Species of cactus

Cleistocactus winteri is a succulent of the family Cactaceae. Its common name is the golden rat tail. Cleistocactus winteri subsp. colademono, as its synonym Cleistocactus colademononis, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

<i>Quiabentia verticillata</i> Species of cactus

Quiabentia verticillata is a species of cactus found from Bolivia to Argentina

<i>Oreocereus celsianus</i> Species of cactus

Oreocereus celsianus, or the old man of the mountain is a member of the family Cactaceae native to the high lands of the Andes in South America, and is named for its fluffy white hair, which may protect it from intense sunlight and extreme temperatures.

<i>Leucostele terscheckii</i> Species of plant

Leucostele terscheckii, commonly known as the cardon grande cactus or Argentine saguaro, is a large cactus native to South America and popular in cultivation.

<i>Cleistocactus tominensis</i> Species of cactus

Cleistocactus tominensis is a species of columnar cactus in the genus Cleistocactus, endemic to Bolivia, where it is found in forests, on cliffs, and in inter-Andean valleys at altitudes of 900 to 2,200 meters.

<i>Lobivia ancistrophora</i> Species of cactus

Lobivia ancistrophora is a species of cactus. It has a globular shape, few spines, with large, white flowers attached to long, green tubes. It occurs in Bolivia, at altitudes of 600–1800 metres. Under its synonym Echinopsis ancistrophora it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

<i>Acharagma roseanum</i> Species of cactus

Acharagma roseanum is a succulent cactus native to a small area of mountains of southeastern Coahuila and Nuevo León, Mexico. It grows on rocky limestone hills and xerophytic shrubland. Its name is often misspelled as "Roseana".

<i>Matucana weberbaueri</i> Species of cactus

Matucana weberbaueri is a species of Matucana found in Peru.

<i>Matucana madisoniorum</i> Species of cactus

Matucana madisoniorum is a species of Matucana found in Peru.

<i>Matucana ritteri</i> Species of cactus

Matucana ritteri is a species of Matucana found in Peru.

<i>Matucana oreodoxa</i> Species of cactus

Matucana oreodoxa is a species of Matucana found in Peru.

<i>Oreocereus doelzianus</i> Species of cactus

Oreocereus doelzianus is a species of cacti native to Peru.

<i>Oroya borchersii</i> Species of cactus

Oroya borchersii is a species of cacti, originating from Peru

<i>Oreocereus pseudofossulatus</i> Species of cactus

Oreocereus pseudofossulatus is a species of Oreocereus found in Bolivia.

<i>Oreocereus hempelianus</i> Species of cactus

Oreocereus hempelianus is a species of cactus native to Peru and Chile.

<i>Oreocereus leucotrichus</i> Species of cactus

Oreocereus leucotrichus is a species of cactus native to Peru and Chile.

References

  1. ↑ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  2. 1 2 Graham Charles (30 April 2014). Cacti and Succulents: An illustrated guide to the plants and their cultivation. Crowood. p. 146. ISBN   978-1-84797-786-1.
  3. ↑ "Oreocereus trollii (Kupper) Backeb". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  4. ↑ "Oreocereus trollii". www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  5. ↑ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). p. 484. ISBN   3-8001-4573-1.
  6. ↑ Gynelle Leon (9 October 2017). Prick: Cacti and Succulents: Choosing, Styling, Caring. Octopus Books. ISBN   978-1-78472-394-1.
  7. ↑ Tonwen Jones (29 May 2018). How to Train Your Cactus: A Guide to Raising Well-Behaved Succulents. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 104. ISBN   978-1-4494-9467-4.
  8. ↑ "Au Cactus Francophone :". Au Cactus Francophone (in French). Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  9. ↑ "Au Cactus Francophone :". Au Cactus Francophone (in French). Retrieved 2023-08-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.