Eulychnia: Difference between revisions

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Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Estevesia | image = Estevesia_alex-bragai.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Cereeae | subtribe = Cereinae | genus = '''Estevesia''' | authority = P.J.Braun (2009) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). A monotypic genus recently described and native to Brazil. }} == Etymology == The genus is named in honor of Eddie Esteves Pereira (1939–), a renowned Brazilian botanist and spe..."
 
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{{Taxobox
{{Taxobox
| name = Estevesia
| name = Eulychnia
| image = Estevesia_alex-bragai.jpg
| image = Eulychnia_acida.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribe = [[Cereeae]]
| tribe = [[Phyllocacteae]]
| subtribe = [[Cereinae]]
| subtribe = [[Corryocactinae]]
| genus = '''Estevesia'''
| genus = '''Eulychnia'''
| authority = P.J.Braun (2009)
| authority = Philippi (1860)
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). A monotypic genus recently described and native to Brazil.
| synonymy = ''Philippicereus'' Backeb. (1942)
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Lodé includes Philippicereus within Eulychnia and places the genus in Corryocactinae.
}}
}}


== Etymology ==
== Etymology ==
The genus is named in honor of Eddie Esteves Pereira (1939–), a renowned Brazilian botanist and specialist in the Cactaceae of Brazil.
The name is derived from the Greek, meaning "absolutely beautiful candelabra," referring to the typical growth habit of the genus[cite: 1028].


== Description ==
== Description ==
'''Estevesia''' is a monotypic genus of cereiform cacti with relatively slender stems.
'''Eulychnia''' consists of shrubby to tree-like plants with a slow growth rate, often featuring a well-defined trunk[cite: 1028].
* '''Stems:''' Cylindrical, reaching up to 50 cm in height and 3 cm in diameter; they feature 7–10 obtuse, slightly crenulate ribs and branching primarily from the base.
* '''Stems:''' Erect, ascending, or prostrate, featuring 9–16 ribs[cite: 1028].
* '''Roots:''' Possesses a characteristic taproot.
* '''Areoles and Spines:''' Large areoles are often woolly or hairy, bearing sturdy, flexible, and usually long spines[cite: 1028].
* '''Areoles and Spines:''' Areoles are tomentose, bearing approximately 40 straight, finely acicular, pale yellow spines.
* '''Flowers:''' Diurnal but often remaining open at night to attract diverse pollinators[cite: 1028]. They are bell-shaped or funnel-shaped, white, with a very short floral tube covered in bristles, hair, or wool[cite: 1028].
* '''Flowers:''' Nocturnal and self-sterile, appearing near the stem apex; they are funnel-shaped, white, and reach 13.5–17 cm in length. The long floral tube features areoles with some spines and fluff.
* '''Fruits:''' Globose to turbiniform, fleshy, and typically hairy or densely woolly, containing white, juicy, acid pulp[cite: 1028].
* '''Fruits:''' Egg-shaped to elongated, yellow, and fleshy with a juicy pulp.
* '''Seeds:''' Grey or black, matt, and rough to warty[cite: 1028]. Dispersal is often aided by chinchillas[cite: 1028].
* '''Seeds:''' Rough, tuberculate, and black.


== Habitat ==
== Habitat ==
The genus is found at altitudes around 790 m within the Brazilian ''campo cerrado'' (shrubby savanna). It grows on granitic outcrops among grasses and bushes, often associated with Bromeliads and ''Epiphyllum phyllanthus''.
Eulychnia species are endemic to the extremely arid coastal regions of the Atacama Desert in Chile. They rely heavily on coastal fog (camanchaca) for moisture and grow from sea level up to approximately 1200 m altitude.


== Distribution ==
== Distribution ==
* '''Brazil:''' Endemic to the state of Goiás.
* '''Chile:''' Antofagasta, Arica, Atacama, Coquimbo, Tarapacá.
* '''Peru:''' Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna.


== Species ==
== Species ==
According to Lodé (2015), the genus contains only one species:
Following Lodé (2015), 8 species are recognized, though he notes high variability within the genus:


* [[Estevesia alex-bragai]] (Type species)  
* [[Eulychnia acida]]
* [[Eulychnia breviflora]]
* [[Eulychnia castanea]] (formerly ''Philippicereus'')
* [[Eulychnia chorosensis]]
* [[Eulychnia iquiquensis]]
* [[Eulychnia ritteri]]
* [[Eulychnia saint-pieana]]
* [[Eulychnia taltalensis]] (doubtful taxon)


== Taxonomy ==
== Taxonomy Note ==
Described in 2009, its exact taxonomic position remains unclear (incertae sedis). While some suggest inclusion in ''Harrisia'' or ''Cereus'', Lodé maintains it as a distinct genus based on its unique combination of floral, fruit, and seed structures.
Formerly placed in ''Notocacteae'', molecular studies (Nyffeler, 2002) have confirmed that ''Eulychnia'', together with ''Austrocactus'' and ''Corryocactus'', represents a basal lineage now placed in the subtribe '''Corryocactinae'''[cite: 1028].


[[Category:Cactaceae]]
[[Category:Cactaceae]]
[[Category:Cactoideae]]
[[Category:Cactoideae]]
[[Category:Cereeae]]
[[Category:Phyllocacteae]]
[[Category:Cereinae]]
[[Category:Corryocactinae]]

Latest revision as of 14:55, 6 April 2026

Eulychnia
File:Eulychnia acida.jpg
Kingdom Plantae
Family Cactaceae
Subfamily Cactoideae
Tribe Phyllocacteae
SubTribe Corryocactinae
Genus Eulychnia
Species
Notes Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Lodé includes Philippicereus within Eulychnia and places the genus in Corryocactinae.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Greek, meaning "absolutely beautiful candelabra," referring to the typical growth habit of the genus[cite: 1028].

Description

Eulychnia consists of shrubby to tree-like plants with a slow growth rate, often featuring a well-defined trunk[cite: 1028].

  • Stems: Erect, ascending, or prostrate, featuring 9–16 ribs[cite: 1028].
  • Areoles and Spines: Large areoles are often woolly or hairy, bearing sturdy, flexible, and usually long spines[cite: 1028].
  • Flowers: Diurnal but often remaining open at night to attract diverse pollinators[cite: 1028]. They are bell-shaped or funnel-shaped, white, with a very short floral tube covered in bristles, hair, or wool[cite: 1028].
  • Fruits: Globose to turbiniform, fleshy, and typically hairy or densely woolly, containing white, juicy, acid pulp[cite: 1028].
  • Seeds: Grey or black, matt, and rough to warty[cite: 1028]. Dispersal is often aided by chinchillas[cite: 1028].

Habitat

Eulychnia species are endemic to the extremely arid coastal regions of the Atacama Desert in Chile. They rely heavily on coastal fog (camanchaca) for moisture and grow from sea level up to approximately 1200 m altitude.

Distribution

  • Chile: Antofagasta, Arica, Atacama, Coquimbo, Tarapacá.
  • Peru: Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna.

Species

Following Lodé (2015), 8 species are recognized, though he notes high variability within the genus:

Taxonomy Note

Formerly placed in Notocacteae, molecular studies (Nyffeler, 2002) have confirmed that Eulychnia, together with Austrocactus and Corryocactus, represents a basal lineage now placed in the subtribe Corryocactinae[cite: 1028].