Espostoa melanostele
Espostoa melanostele
Espostoa melanostele is a flowering plant in the genus Espostoa from the cactus family ( Cactaceae ). The specific epithet melanostele means schwarzsäulig, schwarzstielig '.
Description
Espostoa melanostele grows from the bottom up branching. The shrubs grow up to 2 meters high. The individual shoots are up to 10 inches in diameter in size. You have about 18 to 25 ribs. Very numerous and closely packed areolae with dense whitish to brownish hairs that are up to 1 cm long, covering the whole shoots. The first yellow 1-3 central spines are black with time. They have a length up to 10 centimeters. The 40 to 50 radial spines are, however, only 0.5 to 1 inches tall. The cephalium is whitish, yellowish or brown and about 50 to 70 inches long. It includes up to 8 ribs.
The flowers are bell-shaped white, 5 to 6 inches long and up to 5 centimeters in diameter. The Perikarpell is studded with tiny scales; the tube with larger hairy scales. The fruits are greenish white to even reddish. They are 5 inches long and large in diameter.
Distribution, systematics and hazard
Espostoa melanostele is common at altitudes between 800 and 2,500 meters from north to center in Peru on the western slopes of the Andes, in a narrow strip parallel to the coast.
The first description was in 1913 as Cephalocereus melanostele by Karl Friedrich Johann Vaupel. John Borg presented the type 1937 in the genus Espostoa.
Synonyms are the following species and varieties described: Cephalocereus melanostele Vaupel (1913 ), Binghamia melanostele ( Vaupel ) Britton & Rose (1920 ) ( incorrect name, ICBN article 11.4), Pseudoespostoa melanostele ( Vaupel ) Backeb. (1934 ), Pilocereus haagei Poselg. ex Rümpl. (1885), Espostoa haagei ( Poselg. ex Rümpl. ) F.Ritter (1958), Pseudoespostoa melanostele var inermis Backeb. (1951 ), Espostoa melanostele f inermis ( Backeb. ) Krainz (1964 ), Espostoa haagei borealis var F.Ritter ( 1981) ( nom. inval. ICBN article 36.1) and Espostoa haagei var samnensis F.Ritter (1981 ) ( nom. inval. ICBN article 36.1).
In the Red List of Threatened Species IUCN, the type is known as " Least Concern ( LC) ," ie, than not led at risk.