Cleistocactus morawetzianus

Cleistocactus morawetzianus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Cleistocactus
Species:	C. morawetzianus
Binomial name
Cleistocactus morawetzianus Backeb.

Cleistocactus morawetzianus is a species of columnar cactus in the genus Cleistocactus, endemic to Peru.

Description

Cleistocactus morawetzianus grows shrubby to almost tree-like with richly branched, grey-green shoots and reaches heights of up to 2 meters with a diameter of up to 5 centimeters. There are 12 to 16 transversely grooved ribs. The areoles located on it are up to 1 centimeter apart. The spines, thickened at the base, are initially golden yellow, later becoming greyish with a darker tip. The mostly three sub-central spines are up to 5 centimeters long. The up to 14 radial spines are up to 15 mm long.

The flowers are erect, straight or slightly curved above the pericarpel and directed downwards, are white or have a light greenish or somewhat pinkish hue. They are up to 5.5 centimeters long and have a diameter of 9 millimeters. The bracts are spread out. The stylus protrudes far beyond the flower. The spherical fruits are yellowish green

Synonyms

• Cleistocactus villaazulensis F.Ritter

References

• Jahrb. Deutsch. Kakteen-Ges. 1: 77 1936.
• The Plant List entry
• Encyclopedia of Life entry
• IUCN Redlist entry

External links

• Media related to Cleistocactus morawetzianus at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Cleistocactus morawetzianus at Wikispecies