Copiapoa gigantea is a species of Copiapoa found from Antofagasta to north Atacama, Chile.[1]

Copiapoa gigantea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Copiapoa
Species:
C. gigantea
Binomial name
Copiapoa gigantea

Description

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Copiapoa gigantea forms larger groups up to 1.5 meters high and a diameter of up to two meters. The spherical to cylindrical shoots branch out from the base as well as laterally. They are gray-green to gray and reach a diameter of between 12 and 25 centimeters. The 20 to 37 ribs are notched. They flatten out a bit over time. The large areoles are orange. There is a central spine, which can sometimes be absent. The up to nine radial spines are yellowish with a dark tip and up to three centimeters long.

The lemon-yellow flowers are wide open and 2.5 to 4 centimeters long, with a diameter of up to five centimeters. They are odorless.[2]

Distribution

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Copiapoa gigantea is found in Chile in the Antofagasta region near, the coast of Paposo.

Taxonomy

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The first description was in 1936 by Curt Backeberg. Nomenclatural synonyms are Copiapoa cinerea var. gigantea (Backeb.) N.P.Taylor (1987) and Copiapoa cinerea subsp. gigantea (Backeb.) Slaba (1997).

References

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  1. ^ "Copiapoa gigantea Backeb". Plants of the World Online. 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  2. ^ Anderson, Edward F. (2011). Das große Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). p. 139. ISBN 978-3-8001-5964-2.
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