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Copiapoa tenuissima forma cristata

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NURSERY

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Copiapoa tenuissima forma cristata
 

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Cultivation: Need full sun otherwise the bodies tended to elongate in cultivation, but should be protected from excessive heat and sun in summer, Require light watering, good drainage, and deep pot to accommodate tap root. . Keep warm and dry in winter to avoid rot. Frost tolerance 0°C

Propagation: Usually by seeds. Heads can be used as cuttings. They grow slowly at first until they develop the large tuberous root. Grafting is also used to speed growth rate and to create a back-up to plants in collection.


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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific name:  Copiapoa tenuissima F. Ritter forma cristata

Origin Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Synonyms:  

  • Copiapoa humilis var. tenuissima
  • Copiapoa humilis

 

Description: The Copiapoa tenuissima is a single headed or slowly clumping, usually at or slightly below soil level.
Stems: Up to 5 cm in diameter, flattened to spherical, dull-green, dark olive green, to almost purplish-black. The stem is tubercled rather than ribbed stem and the slightly felted apex can be regarded as persistent juvenile characters, which can be explained by the need for the plant to multiply as early as possible, before they fall victim to the Guanacos.
Roots: Large tuberose connected to the stem by long slender neck. Seedlings naturally produce the huge tap root, starting from germination, i.e. before the plant stem becomes mature.
Ribs: 13-16 spiralling, 3-4 mm tall.
Areoles: White abundantly woolly.
Radial spines: Very thin (almost hairy), acicular, usually straight 8-14, 3-6 mm long, yellowish to blackish.
Central spines: 0-1 (-2) 4-10 mm long.
Flowers: Pretty, yellow diurnal, up to 2.5 cm long. Tepals up to 15 mm long 5-7 mm wide. Ovary with pubescent scales, floral tube 4-7 mm long. The flowers are supposedly to be sweet scented. (The hairy ovary and fruit are a link with Ritter's Pilocopiapoa solaris)
Blooming season: Spring and summer.  In cultivation in the C. tenuissima are able to flower from immature stems at an early age (c. 2 years from germination) and set viable seed.
Fruit: Globose, green to maroon unusual for the genus by being woolly, a primitive characteristic.
 

 

 


 

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms of plants belonging to the Copiapoa humilis/taltalensis complex (This Taxon has lots of synonyms (like most copiapoas) with several controversial varieties and subspecies):

 

Home | E-mail | Plant files | Mail Sale Catalogue | Links | Information | Search

All the information and photos in cactus art file are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.