Badmin: Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Espostoa | image = Espostoa_melanostele.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Cereeae | subtribe = Trichocereinae | genus = '''Espostoa''' | authority = Britton & Rose (1920) [cite: 1023] | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Lodé treats this genus as distinct from Thrixanthocereus and Vatricania. [cite: 1023] }} == Etymology == The genus is named in honor of Nicolas Esposto, a Pe..."

2026-04-06T14:23:17Z

Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Espostoa | image = Espostoa_melanostele.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Cereeae | subtribe = Trichocereinae | genus = '''Espostoa''' | authority = Britton & Rose (1920) [cite: 1023] | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Lodé treats this genus as distinct from Thrixanthocereus and Vatricania. [cite: 1023] }} == Etymology == The genus is named in honor of Nicolas Esposto, a Pe..."

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{{Taxobox
| name = Espostoa
| image = Espostoa_melanostele.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribe = [[Cereeae]]
| subtribe = [[Trichocereinae]]
| genus = '''Espostoa'''
| authority = Britton & Rose (1920) [cite: 1023]
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Lodé treats this genus as distinct from Thrixanthocereus and Vatricania. [cite: 1023]
}}

== Etymology ==
The genus is named in honor of Nicolas Esposto, a Peruvian botanist of Italian origin and founder of the National School of Agriculture of La Molina. [cite: 1023]

== Description ==
'''Espostoa''' consists of bushy or tree-like plants, characterized by their dense covering of white woolly hairs. [cite: 1023]
* '''Stems:''' Columnar stems branching from the base or halfway up, featuring numerous ribs. [cite: 1023]
* '''Cephalium:''' Adult reproductive stems develop a lateral cephalium consisting of dense wool and bristles. [cite: 1023]
* '''Spines:''' Variable, often hidden within the woolly hair of the plant body. [cite: 1023]
* '''Flowers:''' Nocturnal and self-sterile, tubular or bell-shaped. They are typically white to creamy yellow, often with a distinct odor, and are pollinated by bats. [cite: 1023]
* '''Fruits:''' Globose to egg-shaped, juicy, and naked or with small tufts of hair; floral remains are persistent. [cite: 1023]
* '''Seeds:''' Generally black and shiny, featuring fine pitting. [cite: 1023]

== Habitat ==
The genus grows in rocky coastal valleys, canyons, and mountain slopes west of the Andes. [cite: 1024] They are found at altitudes between 450 m and 2800 m, often forming large, dominant populations. [cite: 1024]

== Distribution ==
* '''Ecuador:''' Azuay-El Oro, Loja. [cite: 1024]
* '''Peru:''' Amazonas, Ancash, Cajamarca, Ica, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Piura. [cite: 1024]

== Species ==
Following the classification of Lodé (2015), 11 species and 3 subspecies are recognized: [cite: 1024]

* [[Espostoa calva]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa frutescens]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa huanucoensis]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa hylaea]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa lanata]] [cite: 1024]
** [[Espostoa lanata subsp. lanianuligera]] [cite: 1024]
** [[Espostoa lanata subsp. ruficeps]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa laticornua]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa melanostele]] [cite: 1024]
** [[Espostoa melanostele subsp. nana]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa mirabilis]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa ritteri]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa superba]] [cite: 1024]
* [[Espostoa utcubambensis]] [cite: 1024]

== Taxonomy Note ==
Lodé maintains ''Espostoa'' as distinct from ''Thrixanthocereus'' based on differences in floral structure and seed morphology. [cite: 1023] Molecular studies also show that ''Vatricania'' is a separate lineage from ''Espostoa'' s.s. [cite: 1023]

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

Espostooa - Revision history