Lobivia

Lobivia
File:Lobivia jajoiana.jpg
Kingdom	Plantae
Family	Cactaceae
Subfamily	Cactoideae
Tribe	Cereeae
SubTribe	Trichocereinae
Genus	Lobivia
Species
Notes	Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Lodé treats Lobivia as a distinct genus, separate from Echinopsis, based on seed morphology, floral characteristics, and high-altitude adaptation.

Etymology

The name is an anagram of Bolivia, the country where the genus reaches its greatest diversity and where many type species were first discovered.

Description

Lobivia consists of small to medium-sized cacti, typically globose to shortly cylindrical, often forming dense clusters. They are the high-altitude specialists of the Andes.

• Stems: Usually solitary or clustering, with well-defined ribs, often spiral. Many species possess a large, fleshy taproot (napiform root).
• Flowers: Diurnal, appearing laterally from the ribs. They are funnel-shaped to bell-shaped and come in an extraordinary range of brilliant colors (red, orange, yellow, pink, purple). The floral tube is typically hairy and woolly.
• Fruits: Small, globose, and fleshy or semi-dry when ripe, often dehiscing (splitting) longitudinally.
• Seeds: Relatively small, black, with a characteristic pitted or tuberculate testa that distinguishes them from Echinopsis s.s.

Habitat

The genus is adapted to high-altitude environments (Puna), growing on rocky slopes and high-plateau grasslands at altitudes from 2000 m up to 4500 m. They are highly resistant to cold and intense UV radiation.

Distribution

• South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.

Species List

Following the classification of Joël Lodé (2015), the genus includes the following 41 recognized species:

Lobivia acanthopleura Lobivia arachnacantha Lobivia aurea Lobivia backebergii Lobivia bridgesii Lobivia cacti-habitans Lobivia caineana Lobivia cardenasiana Lobivia chrysantha Lobivia chrysochete Lobivia cinnabarina Lobivia densispina Lobivia famatimensis Lobivia ferox

Lobivia formosa Lobivia grandiflora Lobivia haematantha Lobivia hertrichiana Lobivia huascha Lobivia jajoiana Lobivia kuehnrichii Lobivia lateritia Lobivia marsoneri Lobivia maximiliana Lobivia misticensis Lobivia pampana Lobivia pentlandii (Type) Lobivia pugionacantha

Lobivia rauschii Lobivia saltensis Lobivia sanguinea Lobivia schieliana Lobivia schreiteri Lobivia silvatica Lobivia tegeleriana Lobivia tenuispina Lobivia tiegeliana Lobivia varians Lobivia walteri Lobivia winteriana Lobivia zecheri

Taxonomy

Joël Lodé (2015) rejects the merger of Lobivia into Echinopsis. He argues that the high-mountain small-flowered species (Lobivia) form a distinct evolutionary lineage. His classification includes species formerly placed in Soehrensia, Helianthocereus, and Hymenorebutia into Lobivia, based on morphological and molecular consistency.