Cleistocactus

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Cleistocactus
Cleistocactus candelilla

Cleistocactus candelilla

Systematics
Nuclear eudicotyledons
Order : Clove-like (Caryophyllales)
Family : Cactus family (Cactaceae)
Subfamily : Cactoideae
Tribe : Trichocereeae
Genre : Cleistocactus
Scientific name
Cleistocactus
Lem.
Flowers of Cleistocactus brookeae
Cleistocactus hyalacanthus
Cleistocactus icosagonus
Cleistocactus vulpis-cauda

Cleistocactus is a genus of plants fromthe cactus family (Cactaceae). The botanical name (from the Greek kleistós for closed ) alludes to the tubular flowers in the genus, which appear almost closed in some species.

description

The plants of the genus are slender stem succulents up to about 3 m in height. Usually they form shrubs that branch at the base, rarely branching higher and forming small trees . The shoots stand upright and then often hang over with age, mostly they lie down with rising ends, less often they grow hanging. They usually have many ribs. The areoles standing on the ribs usually have many fine, hair-like thorns with a few firmer thorns in between, the thorns are rarely longer and coarse.

In most species, the flowers appear in large numbers individually from the areoles. In some species (from the earlier genera Borzicereus and Cephalocleistocactus ) they appear from conspicuous zones with strong bristle and hair formation. In adaptation to the pollinators ( hummingbirds ), the flowers are long tubular with upright bracts, which are sometimes not or only slightly turned outwards at the tips and thus appear almost closed. Often they are slightly zygomorphic due to an upward bend close to the base and / or due to a diagonal flower border (longer or straighter at the top, shorter or further turned down at the bottom) . The flower colors range from green to white, yellow, orange and red to purple, with red tones predominating. The densely scaled fruits that arise after fertilization are relatively small, but usually contain numerous seeds .

Distribution and systematics

The distribution area of ​​the genus Cleistocactus extends in South America from the south of Ecuador via Peru , Bolivia , the west of Brazil on to Paraguay to the north of Argentina . The genus was first described in 1861 by Charles Lemaire . The type species is Cereus baumannii .

The genus Cleistocactus includes the following species:

Synonyms for the genus are Akersia Buining , Bolivicereus Cárdenas , Borzicactella H.Johnson ex F.Ritter , Borzicactus Riccob. , Cleistocereus Frič & Cross. , Clistanthocereus Backeb. , Hildewintera F. Ritter , Loxanthocereus Backeb. , Maritimocereus Akers , Seticereus Backeb. , Seticleistocactus Backeb. , Winteria F.Ritter and Winterocereus Backeb.

swell

  • Urs Eggli: The large cactus lexicon, German edition, Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart, 2005, ISBN 3-8001-4573-1

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ L'Illustration Horticole . Volume 8, 1861, Misc. P. 35. Online
  2. ^ Edward F. Anderson : The great cactus lexicon . Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8001-4573-1 , p.  115-128 .
  3. ↑ Cactus World . Volume 24, number 1, p. 21.

Web links

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