: Along the Chilean coast, both north and south of Carrizal Bajo, Atacama, Chile.
Habitat: It grows in a very dry area on sandy alluvial soils. Despite the lack of rain where it lives, the extreme aridity is attenuated by the frequent, often dense, coastal fogs. It shows a recurrent pattern; usually it is overcast in the early mornings, the clouds dissipating during the late morning and returning during the late afternoons. At times this region is dominated by geophytes, which can cover expanses of the desert spectacularly.
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:Copiapoa malletiana (Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) Backeb. in Backeb. & F.M.KnuthKaktus-ABC [Backeb. & Knuth] 280. 1936 [12 Feb 1936]: 10
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SPANISH (Español): Copiapoa de Carrizal
: Copiapoa malletiana (syn: Copiapoa dealbataSN|1380]]SN|1322]] and Copiapoa carrizalensisSN|1380]]SN|1320]]) is a controversial taxon firstly published by Lemaire in 1845, but some authors choose to ignore this name as being inadequately typified (nomen nudum). It is a cespitose, globular cactus, similar to Copiapoa cinereaSN|1380]]SN|1380]] but usually with longer and thinner black spines.
Habit: Plants strongly branched basally, forming imposing mounds up to 1 m tall and more than 2 m wide.
Stems: Individual head, globose to short cylindrical, 6 to 16 cm in diameter, apex wool-covered. Epidermis grey, covered greyish-white waxy film, but not so white like in Copiapoa cinereaSN|1320]]SN|1380]].
Ribs: (15-)21-33 more higher and acute than in Copiapoa cinereaSN|1322]]SN|1380]], slightly tuberculate and narrow between the areoles.
Areoles: Large oval, 5-9 mm in diameter, widely separated (1-2,5 cm apart) and covered with yellowish-grey felt.
Spines: 1-8 (rarely 0), stout, straight, stiff, needle-like, black to light brown, becoming greyish white as they ages.
Radial spines: 1-7, up to 1 cm long,
Central spines: 1, sometimes absent, stouter 2 to 5 cm long.
Flowers: Apical pale yellow, scentless, 2,8-3,5 cm long.
Blooming season: Summer. It is not unusual for copiapoa to take 6-10 years before it starts blooming, but once it does, it should every year.
Fruits: Reddish green rounded, with few scales.
Seeds: Black.
: Major references and further lectures
1) A. Gomez Sanchez “Enciclopedia ilustrada de los cactus y otras suculentas” Mundi-Prensa Libros, 2006
2) Cactus & Succulent Journal of Great Britain 43: 59 1981
3) Riha & Subik. “The illustrated encyclopedia of cacti and other succulents” (edited by G. & K.A. Beckett) 1981
4) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/ago/2011
5) Clive Innes “Complete Handbook of Cacti and Succulents” Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 01/Dec/1981
6) Stephen D. Davis, Vernon Hilton Heywood, Alan Charles Hamilton, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources “Centres of Plant Diversity: The Americas” World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and ICUN - World Conservation Union, 1994
7) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
8) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
9) N. L. Britton, J. N. Rose “The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family.” Volume 4, The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1923
: This cactus is kept for the beauty of its form. It is a summer grower species slow, but easy to cultivate, that like many cacti of the Peruvian deserts, present some problems in cultivation. It is in fact somewhat rot prone if kept in a non ventilated place.
Growth rate: It is a relatively rapidly growing and easily flowering species that will make clumps given the best conditions.
Soils: It likes very porous standard cactus mix soil, but can become too elongated if compost is too rich.
Repotting: Use pot with good drainage.
Watering: Water regularly from Spring to Autumn, but do not overwater and let the soil mix dry between waterings (Rot prone), keep dry in winter.
Fertilization: Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer.
Hardiness:Keep warm and dry in winter (10°C) to avoid rot. Not highly tolerant of a great deal of frost. (Frost tolerance 0°C)
Exposition: Requires full sun or light shade and careful watering to keep plant compact with strong coloured spines. Tends to bronze in strong light, which encourages flowering and heavy spine production. It must be protected from excessive heat and sun in summer.
Uses: It is an excellent plant for container growing. It always looks good and stays small. It look fine in a cold greenhouse and frame or outdoor in a rockery.
Pests & diseases: It may be attractive to a variety of insects, but plants in good condition should be nearly pest-free, particularly if they are grown in a mineral potting-mix, with good exposure and ventilation. Nonetheless, there are several pests to watch for:
- Red spiders: Red spiders may be effectively rubbed up by watering the infested plants from above.
- Mealy bugs: Mealy bugs occasionally develop aerial into the new growth among the wool with disfiguring results, but the worst types develop underground on the roots and are invisible except by their effects.
- Scales: Scales are rarely a problem.
It is wise to treat your whole collection with a systemic insecticide twice a year in spring and autumn.
- Rot: Rot is only a minor problem with cacti if the plants are watered and “aired” correctly. If they are not, fungicides won't help all that much.
Propagation: Seeds (or offsets if available) or by grafting onto a strong grafting stock like Selenicereus sp. Such grafted seedlings can be successfully cultivated for years. Grafting is often used to speed growth rate and to create a back-up to plants in collection. Seeds germinate in 7-14 days at 21-27° C in spring, remove gradually the glass cover as soon the plants will be well rooted (ca 1-2 weeks) and keep ventilated, no full sun for young plants!
Copiapoa carrizalensis F.Ritter: Forms huge mounds more than 1,80 m across composed of hundreds of individual, closely packed heads with dense needle-like black spines.
