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Copiapoa tigrillensis
This is one of the more beautiful
copiapoa (intermediate between C. longistaminea and C. columna-alba)
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Description: It is a very slowing clumping cactus that can
eventually form large knee-high clumps up to 1 m in diameter (but
usually less). Some of the oldest plant found in habitat might be
thousands of years old.
Stems:
Globose-flattened, grey-green to
ghostly blue, with poor white coat. Individual heads up to 10 cm in
diameter and 30-60 cm tall, the apex is wooly.
Areoles: Roundish greyish to orangish 3.6 mm apart.
Spines: Gold to Aber-brownish, straight, rigid.
Radial spines: 4-6 prominent 1-3 cm long.
Central spines: 0 to 1 straight erected.
Note: This plant - found along the coast at the mouth of the
Quebrada Tigrillo - has been named as Copiapoa tigrillensis n.n. (nomen
nudum) by Karel Knize with the field number KK1385. It is more properly
a local form with amber-brownish spines of the variable taxon C.
longistaminea which have several distinct local form for each
valley (Quebrada). The same plant has also been cited as Copiapoa
uhligiana. It has been suggested that this plant might be a
transitional form intermediate between C. longistaminea
and C. columna-alba. |
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Cultivation: This
extremely slow growing cactus is kept for the beauty of its form.
It
must be protected from excessive heat and sun in
summer, and seems to do best in cultivation with a bit of shade.
It requires light but regular waterings in summer, but let the soil
mix dry between waterings, Prone to rot if over-watered.
Needs good drainage.
Keep warm and dry in
winter (10°C) to avoid rot. Not highly tolerant of a great deal
of frost. (Frost tolerance 0°C)
Propagation: Seeds (or offsets if available), Grafting is often
used to speed growth rate and to create a back-up to plants in
collection.
Photo of
conspecific
taxa, varieties, forms and
cultivars of Copiapoa cinerea
complex. (This taxon has lots of synonyms (like most
copiapoa, with several controversial varieties and subspecies):
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Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family) |
Copipoa tigrillensis n.n. KK1385 El Tigrillo,
Chanaral, Chile 300m
Accepted
Scientific name:
Copiapoa longistaminea
Origin: Quebrada Tigrillo, Chañaral,
Atacama - Chile (South America)
Habitat: C. tigrillensis grows along the
coast line on solid open/porous granite rocks, with apparently no soil
but just on gravel. This is a quite different substratum from other
localities characterized by high concentrations of nitrates and minerals
such as copper and arsenic. Indeed, differences in the appearance of
plants may well be due to the different concentrations of chemicals and
metals in the soil. This may be the reason why often plants grown in
cultivation look different from those in habitat.
It is well adapted to dry and bright growing conditions.
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Synonyms:
- Copiapoa sp. 'Tigrillo"
- Copipoa cinerea v. longistaminea
(F.Ritter) R.Slaba
- Copipoa longistaminea Ritter
Taxon, 12 (1): 31. 1963
-
Copiapoa
columna-alba
Ritter
In: Cactus, 65: 199 1959.
- Copiapoa uhligiana.
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A young specimen
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