Scientific Name
Copiapoa longistaminea F.Ritter
Common Name(s)
Copiapoa de Adriana
Synonym(s)
Copiapoa calderana subsp. longistaminea, Copiapoa cinerea var. longistaminea
Scientific Classification
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Notocacteae
Genus: Copiapoa
Description
Copiapoa longistaminea is a slow-growing cactus that forms dense cushions of many stems covered with grayish wax and orange wool at the apex. The stems are globose to short cylindrical, have 15 to 21 ribs, and can grow up to 20 inches (50 cm) tall and 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter. The spines are straight, up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) long, brownish at first, becoming dark red to black, and finally grey.
The flowers are bright yellow, funnel-shaped, and up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) long.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 10b to 11b: from 35 °F (+1.7 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Despite the extreme and specific conditions in habitat, Copiapoas, as a whole, are surprisingly easy to grow. This genus is very forgiving, from seed sowing to caring for mature plants. While maintaining 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 or risk 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 (granite crumbled) mixed with very little universal soil.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Copiapoa.
Origin
Copiapoa longistaminea is native to 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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