Oreocereus doelzianus is a species of cacti native to Peru.

Oreocereus doelzianus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Oreocereus
Species:
O. doelzianus
Binomial name
Oreocereus doelzianus
(Backeb.) Borg
Synonyms
  • Borzicactus doelzianus (Backeb.) Kimnach 1960
  • Morawetzia doelziana Backeb. 1936

Description

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Oreocereus doelzianus grows as a shrub with richly branched, cylindrical, olive-green shoots from the base and reaches heights of growth of up to 1 meter with a diameter of 6 to 8 cm (2.4 to 3.1 in). There are 10 to 11 ribs that are somewhat contracted between the gray felted areoles. The spines are yellow to dark brown. The four crossed central spines are strong and up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long. The 10 to 20 radial spines are up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long. The terminal cephalium consists of long, white, wavy hairs and whitish-yellow bristles up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long.

The carmine-red flowers have a bluish tinge and appear from the cephalium. They are up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long and have a diameter of 3 cm (1.2 in).[2]

Subspecies

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Recognized Subspecies:[3]

Image Scientific name Distribution
Oreocereus doelzianus subsp. calvus (Rauh & Backeb.) Mottram Rio Mantaro Valley, Peru
  Oreocereus doelzianus subsp. doelzianus Ayacucho and Huancavelica, central Peru
  Oreocereus doelzianus subsp. sericatus (F.Ritter) Mottram Ayacucho, central Peru

Distribution

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Oreocereus doelzianus is distributed in the Peruvian regions of Huancavelica and Ayacucho at altitudes of 2500 to 3000 meters.

Taxonomy

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The first description as Morawetzia doelziana was in 1936 by Curt Backeberg. The specific epithet doelzianus honors the German lawyer and cacti lover Bruno Dölz (1906–1945), who was President of the German Cactus Society from 1941 to 1945. John Borg placed them in the genus Oreocereus in 1937

References

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  1. ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  2. ^ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). p. 483. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.
  3. ^ "Oreocereus doelzianus (Backeb.) Borg". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
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