Copiapoa Britton & Rose (1922)
named after the occurrence of some species nearby the city of Copiapó, Chile
globular, later often columnar, clumping and forms large mounds
gray to green in various shades
ribs in different amount, usually only very slight
spines various also in amount, lenght and color
flowers
short tubular, some fragrant, yellow to light yellow, it is a good identifying feature for this genus
fruits globular, opened at the top if they ripened
seeds usually shiny black |
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Distribution |
north to central Chile
Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo
steppes and mountains |
Growth period |
Copiapoa is usually not easy to cultivate!
at the northern hemisphere is the main growth period in late summer and fall,
therefor in summer keep in sparse shade and relatively dry |
Winter period |
keep dry on a bright and airy location, minimum temperature 8–12°C (46–53°F)
species out of mountains also at colder temperatures |
Substrat |
very porous, minerally and gravelly soil
a addition of pumice, perlite and expanded slate is recommandable |
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| Copiapoa gigantea C. Backeberg (1936) |
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Habitat |
Chile
Antofagasta - 20 km (12 mls) northern from Taltal to Paposo
near the coast, at mild rising, to 50 m (164 ft) high, mountainsides
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Description |
gigantic growing Copiapoa
to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, clumping, single shoots about 20 cm (7.8 in) Ø,
olive green, moderate pruinose
ribs 14–22
crown reddish yellow-brown
areoles later darker
spines same length, slightly curved, strong, first horn colored, dark tipped
about 7 radial spines; 1–2 central spine
flowers yellow
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Flowering time |
May–June in cultivation
8–12 years from seed |
Synonyms |
Copiapoa cinerea var. gigantea (C. Backeberg) N. P. Taylor (1987)
Copiapoa cinerea ssp. gigantea (C. Backeberg) Slaba (1997)
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| CITES |
Appendix II |
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