Corryocactus

Corryocactus apiciflorus

Corryocactus is a genus of flowering plants of the cactus family ( Cactaceae ). Its botanical name was given to her in honor of Thomas Avery Corry (1862-1942), who helped as an engineer of the Peruvian railway company Ferrocarril del Sur, to discover the plants: The first three known species of the genus grew close to the then newly laid railway track.

Description

Corryokakteen are stem succulent, strongly branching from the bases of shrubs. Their roots are fibrous or sometimes beet shaped. The usually 2 to 5 cm thick rung standing upright with short stature species in langtriebigen types they lie down with upright ends, climb accompanying vegetation or are just upright and then hang on. One type is 10 to 15 cm thick sprouts upright pillars of up to 5 m height. The usually four to six, sometimes to about ten ribs are swollen to the areoles and humped around the areolae. The areoles are large thorns. Usually the longer central spines are 3-5 cm, sometimes up to 15 cm (sometimes up to 25 cm ) long.

The individually appearing from the areoles flowers open during the day. They have short tubes and open wide up to diameters of 2 to 10 cm. The color of the bloom ranges in the genus and sometimes even for some types of yellow to orange to red. After fertilization, thorny, mostly spherical fruit is 3-10 cm in diameter, dark brown in a juicy pulp to contain black seeds.

Systematics and distribution

The genus is native to Peru, Bolivia and northern Chile. The plants of most species grow at altitudes between 2000 and 3000 m above sea level, some also grow in the lowlands or reach up to 4000 m above sea level.

The first description by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose was published in 1920. The type species of the genus Cereus brevistylus. We distinguish between the following types:

  • Corryocactus apiciflorus ( Vaupel ) Hutchison
  • Corryocactus aureus ( Meyen ) Hutchison ex Buxb.
  • Corryocactus ayopayanus Cárdenas
  • Corryocactus brachypetalus ( Vaupel ) Britton & Rose
  • Corryocactus brevistylus ( K.Schum. ) Britton & Rose Corryocactus brevistylus subsp. brevistylus
  • Corryocactus brevistylus subsp. puquiensis ( Rauh & Backeb. ) Ostolaza

Synonyms for the species are Corryocereus Fric & Cross. and Erdisia Britton & Rose.

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