Leucostele tunariensis
| Leucostele tunariensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Genus: | Leucostele |
| Species: | L. tunariensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leucostele tunariensis (Cárdenas) Schlumpb.
| |
| Synonyms | |
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Leucostele tunariensis is a species of columnar cactus native to South America.[2]
Description
[edit]Leucostele tunariensis exhibits a columnar growth pattern, branching from the base and attaining heights between 2 and 3 meters. The green shoots are club-shaped to cylindrical, with a diameter of up to 12 centimeters and 16 to 21 sharp-edged ribs. Gray oval areoles, spaced about 1 centimeter apart, decorate these ribs, each bearing approximately 17 spines ranging from 0.5 to 6 centimeters. Notably, these spines lack differentiation into central and peripheral categories, with some pointing downwards.
The plant produces funnel-shaped, pink to red flowers near the shoot tips that bloom at night. These flowers measure 15 to 17 centimeters in length and have a diameter ranging from 12 to 15 centimeters. Another distinctive feature is the spherical, green fruits, with a diameter of 5 centimeters and a length of up to 4 centimeters.[3][4]
Distribution
[edit]Leucostele tunariensis is native to the Cochabamba department in Bolivia, specifically in the Cercado province on Cerro Tunari at elevations between 3000 and 3800 meters.
Taxonomy
[edit]Martín Cárdenas initially described the species as Trichocereus tunariensis in 1959, with the species name "tunariensis" denoting its presence on Cerro Tunari in Bolivia.[5] In 2012, Boris O. Schlumpberger reclassified the species into the genus Leucostele. Additional nomenclatural synonym include Echinopsis tunariensis (Cárdenas) H. Friedrich & G. D. Rowley (1974).
References
[edit]- ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ "Leucostele tunariensis (Cárdenas) Schlumpb". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ "On-line Guide to the positive identification of Members of the Cactus Family". On-line Guide to the positive identification of Members of the Cactus Family. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. pp. 247–248. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.
- ^ "Au Cactus Francophone :". Au Cactus Francophone (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-17.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Leucostele tunariensis at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Leucostele tunariensis at Wikispecies
