Eulychnia
Eulychnia breviflora
Eulychnia is a genus of flowering plants of the cactus family ( Cactaceae ). The botanical name of the genus comes from the Greek words " εὖ " (eu) for beautiful and " λύχνος " ( Lychnos ) for lamp and means Beautiful torch.
Description
The species of the genus Eulychnia grow bushy or treelike, are freely branched and sometimes have a clear trunk. The shoots are straight, ascending or decumbent and have 9 to 16 ribs. The areolae are covered with wool or long hair. The arising therefrom thorns are often strong and long.
The small, bell - to funnel-shaped flowers appear at the shoot tip. They are white to pink and open during the day and at night. Your flower cups and the very short corolla tube are occupied with woolly hair or bristly spines and covered with scales.
The fleshy, spherical fruits are scaly or hairy and rarely spines. The broad - ovate, matt black or gray seeds are finely verrucose.
Systematics and distribution
The species of the genus Eulychnia along the coast of northern Chile to southern Peru widespread. They rarely grow at altitudes above 1000 meters. The first description of the genus with the then single type Eulychnia breviflora, which is thus the type species of the genus, was in 1860 by Rudolph Amandus Philippi.
Belong to the genus of the following types:
- Eulychnia acida
- Eulychnia breviflora
- Eulychnia castanea
- Eulychnia iquiquensis
- Eulychnia ritteri
A synonym of the genus is Philippicereus Backeb.