Rimacactus

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Rimacactus
Rimacactus laui 5046.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Rimacactus
Mottram [2]
Species:
R. laui
Binomial name
Rimacactus laui
(Lüthy) Mottram [2]
Synonyms [2]
  • Eriosyce lauiLüthy
  • Islaya laui(Lüthy) Faúndez & R.Kiesling

Rimacactus is a genus of cacti with the sole species Rimacactus laui. [2] It is native to Northern Chile, and at one point was considered a part of Eriosyce . [3]

Contents

Description

Rimacactus laui is a cactus species characterized by its spherical to elongated shoots, measuring up to 3 cm in diameter. These shoots exhibit a whitish-green to reddish coloration and possess a carrot-shaped taproot. The plant's barely visible ribs are segmented into warty tubercles, each bearing a small leaf remnant. The radial spines, numbering nine to thirteen, are thin, needle-like, spreading, and translucent white. They are up to 9 mm long and brittle, with no distinction between central and radial spines. The flowers are narrowly funnel-shaped, approximately 2 cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter, and sulfur-yellow with a whitish-yellow base. They often appear in clusters of up to six. The pericarpel of the flower is smooth or nearly smooth. The fruits are red, elongated, balloon-shaped, and smooth, reaching up to 3.5 cm in length. They open via a basal pore. [4]

Distribution

Rimacactus laui is native to the north of the Chilean Antofagasta region, specifically near Tocopilla, where it grows on dry slopes of the coastal mountain range with fog at elevations around 400 meters. Plants are found growing along Eriosyce iquiquensis and Eulychnia iquiquensis . [5]

Taxonomy

The species was initially described as Eriosyce laui by Jonas Martin Lüthy in 1994. In 2001, Roy Mottram reclassified it into the genus Rimacactus. The species epithet honors German cactus researcher Alfred Bernhard Lau. [6]

References

  1. ↑ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Rimacactus Mottram | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Eriosyce laui Lüthy | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  4. ↑ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. p. 262. ISBN   3-8001-4573-1.
  5. ↑ "Rimacactus laui". LLIFLE. 2013-08-04. Retrieved 2026-01-08. Creative Commons by-sa small.svg  This article incorporates textfrom this source, which is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
  6. ↑ Mottram, Roy (2001-09-28). "Rimacactus , a new genus of Cactaceae". Bradleya. 19 (19): 75–82. doi:10.25223/brad.n19.2001.a9. ISSN   0265-086X . Retrieved 2026-01-08.
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