Yungasocereus

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Yungasocereus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Cereeae
Subtribe: Trichocereinae
Genus: Yungasocereus
F.Ritter
Species:
Y. inquisivensis
Binomial name
Yungasocereus inquisivensis
(Cárdenas) F.Ritter ex Eggli[2]
Synonyms[2]
  • Samaipaticereus inquisivensis Cárdenas
  • Cleistocactus inquisivensis (Cárdenas) N.P.Taylor

Yungasocereus is a monotypic genus of cactus containing one species, Yungasocereus inquisivensis.[3]

Description

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Yungasocereus inquisivensis is a columnar cactus, appearing either as a tree or shrub, ranging up to 4–5 meters in height. The 6–7 cm (2.4–2.8 in) diameter stems are dark green, with 6-10 ribs. The 1.5–3 cm (0.59–1.18 in) spines are in groups of 4-12, with no differentiation into central and radial types, and range from a brownish to grayish color. The flowers are white, appearing in groups of 5-8 near the stem tips. They open day and night and are 5 to 6 cm (2.0 to 2.4 in) long.

The fruits have a length between 2 and 2.8 cm (0.79 and 1.10 in). They contain small, broadly oval, shiny black, slightly keeled seeds on the back, 0.9 mm (0.035 in) long and 0.7 mm (0.028 in) wide.[4]

Taxonomy

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Martín Cárdenas described the species in 1957 from Inquisivi, placing it in Samaipaticereus.[5] Friedrich Ritter later found the same species in Yungas. In 1980, he gave the cactus its own genus, Yungasocereus.[3] After a period in Haageocereus, the species was again separated into Yungasocereus. A 2023 molecular phylogenetic study led to Cleistocactus being expanded to include Yungasocereus and Samaipaticereus.[6] The expansion is not accepted by Plants of the World Online as of October 2025, with this species accepted as Yungasocactus inquisivensis.[2]

Distribution

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Yungasocereus inquisivensis is known only from Yungas and Inquisivi provinces of La Paz Department, where it is found at elevations of around 1000 to 2300 meters.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  2. ^ a b c "Yungasocactus inquisivensis (Cárdenas) F.Ritter ex Eggli". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
  3. ^ a b "Au Cactus Francophone". Au Cactus Francophone (in French). Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  4. ^ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. p. 646. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.
  5. ^ "Au Cactus Francophone". Au Cactus Francophone (in French). Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  6. ^ Romeiro-Brito, Monique; Taylor, Nigel P.; Zappi, Daniela C.; Telhe, Milena C.; Franco, Fernando F. & Moraes, Evandro M. (2023). "Unravelling phylogenetic relationships of the tribe Cereeae using target enrichment sequencing". Annals of Botany. 132: 989–1005. doi:10.1093/aob/mcad153. PMC 10808018.
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  • Media related to Yungasocereus at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Yungasocereus at Wikispecies