Badmin: Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Espostoa | image = Espostoa_lanata.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Cereeae | subtribe = Trichocereinae | genus = '''Espostoa''' | authority = Britton & Rose (1920) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with additional insights from Arakaki (2003, 2008), Nyffeler & Eggli (2010), and Lendel et al. (2006). }} == Etymology == Named in honour of Nicolas Esposto (1877–?), Peruvian..."

2026-04-21T07:16:19Z

Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Espostoa | image = Espostoa_lanata.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Cereeae | subtribe = Trichocereinae | genus = '''Espostoa''' | authority = Britton & Rose (1920) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with additional insights from Arakaki (2003, 2008), Nyffeler & Eggli (2010), and Lendel et al. (2006). }} == Etymology == Named in honour of Nicolas Esposto (1877–?), Peruvian..."

New page

{{Taxobox
| name = Espostoa
| image = Espostoa_lanata.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribe = [[Cereeae]]
| subtribe = [[Trichocereinae]]
| genus = '''Espostoa'''
| authority = Britton & Rose (1920)
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with additional insights from Arakaki (2003, 2008), Nyffeler & Eggli (2010), and Lendel et al. (2006).
}}

== Etymology ==
Named in honour of Nicolas Esposto (1877–?), Peruvian botanist of Italian origin and founder of the National School of Agriculture of La Molina, Lima.

== Description ==
'''Espostoa''' is a genus of columnar, often densely hairy cacti, forming shrubs or tree-like structures.

* '''Habit''': Bushy or arborescent; branching from the base or higher up.
* '''Stems''': Columnar with numerous ribs.
* '''Spines''': Sturdy or hair-like; often obscured by dense wool.
* '''Cephalium''': Lateral, developing on mature stems; densely woolly.
* '''Flowers''': Nocturnal, tubular to campanulate, white to creamy-yellow; often with an unpleasant odour.
* '''Floral tube''': Short, scaly, without spines.
* '''Pollination''': Primarily by bats (e.g. ''Anoura geoffroyi'', ''Glossophaga soricina''), also by bees and hummingbirds in some species.
* '''Fruits''': Globose to ovoid, fleshy, sometimes with tufts of hairs; floral remnants persistent.
* '''Seeds''': Black, shiny, finely pitted; variable between species.

== Habitat ==
Occurs in varied environments along the western Andes:

* rocky coastal valleys and canyons
* mountain slopes and hills
* dry woodlands to more humid forest margins

Altitude range: approximately 450–2800 m or higher.

Often grows among bromeliads and low vegetation, sometimes forming dense populations.

== Distribution ==
Western South America:

* Ecuador (Azuay, El Oro, Loja)
* Peru (Amazonas, Ancash, Cajamarca, Ica, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Piura)

== Taxonomy ==
The genus is accepted but has undergone revisions.

Key points:

* Originally described with a single species (''E. lanata'')
* ''Thrixanthocereus'' has often been included but is treated separately here
* Nyffeler & Eggli (2010): reinstated ''Vatricania'' as a distinct genus, excluding it from ''Espostoa''
* Arakaki (2008): showed close relationship with ''Haageocereus'' (sister genera)

The genus is considered '''monophyletic in a restricted sense (s.s.)'''.

== Species ==
Following Joël Lodé (2015):

* [[Espostoa calva]]
* [[Espostoa frutescens]]
* [[Espostoa huanucoensis]]
* [[Espostoa hylaea]]

* [[Espostoa lanata]]
** [[Espostoa lanata subsp. lanianuligera]]
** [[Espostoa lanata subsp. ruficeps]]

* [[Espostoa laticornua]]

* [[Espostoa melanostele]]
** [[Espostoa melanostele subsp. nana]]

* [[Espostoa mirabilis]]
* [[Espostoa ritteri]]
* [[Espostoa superba]]
* [[Espostoa utcubambensis]]

== Notes ==
* Known for dense woolly covering — an adaptation to intense sun and arid conditions.
* Lateral cephalium is a defining characteristic.
* Some taxa were historically confused or misidentified (e.g. ''E. utcubambensis'').
* Hybridisation with related genera (e.g. ''Haageocereus'') may occur in habitat.

[[Category:Cactaceae]]
[[Category:Cactoideae]]
[[Category:Cereeae]]
[[Category:Trichocereinae]]
[[Category:Espostoa]]

Espostoa - Revision history