Leucostele tunariensis

Leucostele tunariensis is a species of columnar cactus native to South America.[2]

Leucostele tunariensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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
  • Echinopsis tunariensis (Cárdenas) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley 1974
  • Trichocereus tunariensis Cárdenas 1959

Description

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  2. ^ "Leucostele tunariensis (Cárdenas) Schlumpb". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. pp. 247–248. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.
  5. ^ "Au Cactus Francophone :". Au Cactus Francophone (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-17.
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