Copiapoa
| Copiapoa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Copiapoa humilis | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Tribe: | Notocacteae |
| Genus: | CopiapoaBritton & 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
PilocopiapoaF.Ritter has been brought into synonymy with this genus. Some authorities also include here the genus Blossfeldia.
Species
As of January 2023, 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 lauiDiers | Chile (Antofagasta to NW. Atacama) |
| MammillopoaHelmut Walter & Larridon |  | Copiapoa humilis(Phil.) Hutchison | Chile (Antofagasta). |
| Copiapoa sect. Cinerei | Copiapoa ahremephianaN.P.Taylor & G.J.Charles | Chile (W. & SW. Antofagasta). | |
 | Copiapoa giganteaBackeb. | Chile (Antofagasta to N. Atacama) | |
 | Copiapoa cinerea(Phil.) Britton & Rose | Chile (Antofagasta to Atacama) | |
| Copiapoa sect. Copiapoa |  | Copiapoa angustifloraHelmut Walter, G.J.Charles & Mächler | Chile (SW. Antofagasta) |
| Copiapoa aphanesMächler & Helmut Walter | Chile (SW. Antofagasta) | ||
 | Copiapoa atacamensisMiddled. | Chile (Antofagasta to NW. Atacama) | |
 | Copiapoa calderanaF.Ritter | Chile (Antofagasta to Atacama) | |
 | Copiapoa cinerascens(Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose | Chile (SW. Antofagasta to NW. Atacama). | |
| Copiapoa decorticansN.P.Taylor & G.J.Charles | Chile (Antofagasta to Atacama) | ||
| Copiapoa desertorumF.Ritter | Chile (Antofagasta to NW. Atacama) | ||
 | Copiapoa esmeraldanaF.Ritter | Chile (SW. Antofagasta to NW. Atacama) | |
 | Copiapoa grandifloraF.Ritter | Chile (SW. Antofagasta to NW. Atacama). | |
 | Copiapoa hypogaeaF.Ritter | Chile (SW. Antofagasta to NW. Atacama). | |
 | Copiapoa leonensisI.Schaub & Keim | Chile (Atacama). | |
| Copiapoa longispinaF.Ritter | Chile (Atacama) | ||
 | Copiapoa longistamineaF.Ritter | Chile. | |
 | Copiapoa marginata(Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose | Chile (SW. Atacama to NW. Coquimbo) | |
 | Copiapoa megarhizaBritton & Rose | Chile (Atacama). | |
 | Copiapoa molliculaF.Ritter | Chile (Atacama to NW. Coquimbo). | |
 | Copiapoa montanaF.Ritter | Chile (SW. Antofagasta) | |
 | Copiapoa rupestrisF.Ritter | Chile (Antofagasta). | |
 | Copiapoa serpentisulcataF.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 corralensisI.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 fuscaI.Schaub & Keim | Chile (Atacama). | ||
 | Copiapoa malletiana(Cels ex Salm-Dyck) Backeb. | Chile (Atacama) | |
| Copiapoa pendulinaF.Ritter | Chile (Coquimbo) | ||
| Copiapoa schulzianaI.Schaub & Keim | Chile (Atacama). |
See also
- Copiapó (the largest city of the Atacama region)
- Pan de Azúcar National Park
References
- ^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.
- ^Brickell, Christopher, ed. (2008). The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 302. ISBN 9781405332965.
- ^"Copiapoa Britton & Rose - Plants of the World Online". Plants of the World Online. 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
- ^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.
- ^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).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
External links
- From Caldera to Copiapo, a collection of images of various species
- Cactuspedia Copiapoa
- CactiGuide Copiapoa
