Badmin: Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Copiapoa | image = Copiapoa_cinerea.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Copiapoae | genus = '''Copiapoa''' | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). }} == Etymology == The genus is named after the province of Copiapó in northern Chile, where the first species were discovered and described. == Description == '''Copiapoa''' is a genus of globose to elongated cacti, showing extreme va..."

2026-03-31T13:54:34Z

Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Copiapoa | image = Copiapoa_cinerea.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Copiapoae | genus = '''Copiapoa''' | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). }} == Etymology == The genus is named after the province of **Copiapó** in northern Chile, where the first species were discovered and described. == Description == '''Copiapoa''' is a genus of globose to elongated cacti, showing extreme va..."

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{{Taxobox
| name = Copiapoa
| image = Copiapoa_cinerea.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribe = [[Copiapoae]]
| genus = '''Copiapoa'''
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015).
}}

== Etymology ==
The genus is named after the province of **Copiapó** in northern Chile, where the first species were discovered and described.

== Description ==
'''Copiapoa''' is a genus of globose to elongated cacti, showing extreme variability in size—from dwarf, geophytic species to massive clumps consisting of hundreds of stems. A striking feature of many species is the **waxy, glaucous epidermis** (often chalky white or grey), which protects the plants from intense solar radiation. The apex of the stems is frequently covered with dense wool.

The flowers are diurnal, self-sterile, and typically funnel-shaped to bell-shaped. They are almost always light yellow, though some may have reddish tints. Pollination is carried out by specialized desert bees and beetles. The fruits are globose, opening at the top (apically dehiscent) to release shiny reddish-brown to black seeds, which are primarily dispersed by ants.

== Habitat ==
Endemic to the **Atacama Desert** along the Pacific coast of Chile. These plants live in one of the most arid regions on Earth, surviving primarily on moisture from coastal fogs known as **camanchaca**. They grow from sea level up to 1500 m, usually in purely mineral substrates, alluvial soils, or rocky crevices. They are often found alongside other Chilean endemics like ''Eulychnia'' and ''Neoporteria''.

== Distribution ==
* '''Northern Chile''' (Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo).

== Species ==
Joël Lodé recognizes 30 species and at least 8 subspecies, acknowledging that the exact number is a subject of ongoing debate:

* [[Copiapoa ahremephiana]]
* [[Copiapoa angustiflora]]
* [[Copiapoa atacamensis]]
* [[Copiapoa bridgesii]]
* [[Copiapoa calderana]]
* [[Copiapoa cinerascens]]
* [[Copiapoa cinerea]]
** [[Copiapoa cinerea subsp. columna-alba]]
** [[Copiapoa cinerea subsp. haseltoniana]]
* [[Copiapoa coquimbana]]
* [[Copiapoa dealbata]]
* [[Copiapoa decorticans]]
* [[Copiapoa echinoides]]
* [[Copiapoa eremophila]]
* [[Copiapoa esmeraldana]]
* [[Copiapoa fiedleriana]]
* [[Copiapoa grandiflora]]
* [[Copiapoa humilis]]
** [[Copiapoa humilis subsp. australis]]
** [[Copiapoa humilis subsp. tenuissima]]
** [[Copiapoa humilis subsp. tocopillana]]
** [[Copiapoa humilis subsp. varispinata]]
* [[Copiapoa hypogaea]]
* [[Copiapoa krainziana]]
* [[Copiapoa laui]]
* [[Copiapoa leonensis]]
* [[Copiapoa longistaminea]]
* [[Copiapoa marginata]]
* [[Copiapoa megarhiza]]
** [[Copiapoa megarhiza subsp. echinata]]
* [[Copiapoa melanohystrix]]
* [[Copiapoa mollicula]]
* [[Copiapoa montana]]
* [[Copiapoa serpentisulcata]]
* [[Copiapoa solaris]]
* [[Copiapoa taltalensis]]
** [[Copiapoa taltalensis subsp. desertorum]]
* [[Copiapoa vallenarensis]]

== Notes ==
* '''Evolutionary Isolation:''' Molecular data (Nyffeler & Eggli, 2010) show that ''Copiapoa'' is genetically isolated from other South American tribes like ''Notocacteae'' (e.g., ''Parodia'' or ''Eriosyce''), leading to its placement in the separate tribe ''Copiapoae''.
* '''Conservation:''' Due to their slow growth and extremely limited distribution, many ''Copiapoa'' species are highly prized by collectors, making them targets for illegal poaching. They are strictly protected under CITES.

[[Category:Cactaceae]]
[[Category:Cactoideae]]
[[Category:Copiapoae]]

Copiapoa - Revision history