Bolivicactus

Bolivicactus
File:Bolivicactus maassii.jpg
Kingdom	Plantae
Family	Cactaceae
Subfamily	Cactoideae
Tribe	Notocacteae
SubTribe
Genus	Bolivicactus
Species
Notes	Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) and Doweld (2000).

Etymology

The name Bolivicactus means "Cactus of Bolivia", as the type species and the majority of the genus are native to the mountainous regions of Bolivia.

Description

Bolivicactus includes plants that range from globose to shortly columnar. They typically possess 13 to 21 ribs, which are more or less tuberculate. The spination is variable, usually featuring 4 to 6 (sometimes up to 8) central spines that are needle-like (aciculate) and frequently hooked at the tip.

The flowers are diurnal and emerge from the apex of the plant. They have a short, woolly floral tube and come in shades of yellow, orange, or red. Pollination is mainly carried out by bees. The fruits are small and globose. A distinguishing feature of the genus is the structure of its black seeds, which are adorned with fine papillae and longitudinal striations. Seed dispersal occurs through ants (myrmecochory) and rainwater (hydrochory).

Habitat

The genus is primarily found in southern Bolivia and northern Argentina, growing in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes. Its altitude range is broad, from 850 m up to 3600 m. These cacti grow on bare slopes, among bushes, or tucked into rock hollows and crevices between stones.

Distribution

• Argentina (Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán)
• Bolivia (Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Potosí, Santa Cruz, Tarija)

Species

According to the Joël Lodé index, there are currently 17 recognized species:

• Bolivicactus aureicentrus
• Bolivicactus columnaris
• Bolivicactus comarapanus
• Bolivicactus commutans
• Bolivicactus hausteinianus
• Bolivicactus maassii
• Bolivicactus mairananus
• Bolivicactus ocampoi
• Bolivicactus otavianus
• Bolivicactus procerus
• Bolivicactus ritteri
• Bolivicactus saint-pieanus
• Bolivicactus schwebsianus
• Bolivicactus stuemeri
• Bolivicactus subterraneus
• Bolivicactus taratensis
• Bolivicactus tuberculatus

Notes

• The genus was established by Alexander Doweld in 2000 to house species formerly placed in Parodia subgenus Protoparodia.
• Molecular and morphological studies (Machado et al., 2010) suggest that maintaining Parodia as a single large genus makes it paraphyletic. Following this logic, researchers like Doweld and Lodé advocate for the recognition of smaller, monophyletic genera such as Bolivicactus, Wigginsia, and Eriocephala.
• Despite similar appearances, some species are genetically distant; for example, B. saint-pieanus only superficially resembles Parodia chrysacanthion but belongs to a different lineage.