Scientific Name
Copiapoa esmeraldana F.Ritter
Synonym(s)
Copiapoa humilis var. esmeraldana, Copiapoa grandiflora subsp. ritteri
Scientific Classification
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Notocacteae
Genus: Copiapoa
Description
Copiapoa esmeraldana, also known as Copiapoa humilis var. esmeraldana, is a low-growing cactus with green, spherical stems with the tip covered with white wool, particularly at the flowering time. It can grow solitary or clump-forming. The stems have 13 to 16 strongly tuberculate ribs and can reach up to 2.8 inches (8 cm) in diameter. The tubercles are up to 0.4 inches (1 cm) tall, each with an areole at the tip. The areoles are covered with short, whitish wool when young, later hairless. The spines are straight, brownish to ash-grey, and can measure up to 0.8 inches (2 cm) long. The young plants only have thin radial spines, while the central spines appear as they mature.
The flowers are yellow, bell-shaped, up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) long, and appear in late spring and early summer.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 10a to 11b: from 30 °F (−1.1 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Despite the extreme and specific conditions in the habitat, Copiapoas as a whole are surprisingly easy to grow in cultivation. This genus is very forgiving, from seed sewing to caring for mature plants. While staying manageable in size, Copiapoa in cultivation will flower from a young age and reliably so each following year.
These cacti want exposure to half or full sun. If they are in full sun, they must be in a position with good air circulation to prevent sunburn.
Watering should be extremely poor. The soil must dry out completely between waterings. They should, however, be suspended during mid-summer. In this period, instead of watering, spraying the plant early in the morning, before the temperature warms up, thus simulating the conditions they would have in their natural environment will be appropriate.
The soil should be formed from a mineral substrate (for example, granite crumbled) mixed with very little universal soil.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Copiapoa.
Origin
Copiapoa esmeraldana is native to the Esmeralda region of Chile.
Links
- Back to genus Copiapoa
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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