Vatricania
| Vatricania | |
|---|---|
| File:Vatricania guentheri.jpg | |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Family | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily | Cactoideae |
| Tribe | Cereeae |
| SubTribe | Trichocereinae |
| Genus | Vatricania |
| Species | |
| Notes | Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with molecular insights from Nyffeler & Eggli (2010), Schlumpberger (2012), and Mauseth (1999). |
Etymology
The genus honours Louis Vatrican (1904–2007), Monegasque botanist and long-time director of the Exotic Garden of Monaco, and a founding member of the IOS (International Organization of Succulent Plants).
Description
Vatricania is a monotypic genus of columnar cacti forming dense stands.
Habit: Columnar, branching from the base; forming candelabra-like groups or “forests”. Stems: Erect, up to 5 m tall and около 10 cm in diameter. Ribs: Numerous (up to 27), weakly tuberculate. Areoles: Closely spaced, woolly. Spines: Relatively short, около 2–3 cm. Cephalium: Longitudinal, developing on mature stems; dense with spines and red wool, becoming grey with age. Flowers: Nocturnal, remaining open into the morning; broadly campanulate; white to yellowish or pale to intense pink; self-sterile. Floral tube: Covered with numerous bristles and pinkish wool. Pollination: Chiropterophilous (bats). Fruits: Scaly, deeply sunken within the cephalium. Seeds: Ovoid, dark brown, shiny, slightly tuberculate and striate; dispersal myrmecochorous (by ants).
Habitat
Occurs in Andean intermontane environments:
rocky hillsides and valleys shrubby vegetation zones often forming dense cactus stands (“cactus forests”)
Altitude range: approximately 800–2000 m.
Distribution
Bolivia:
Chuquisaca Cochabamba Santa Cruz
Taxonomy
The genus has undergone significant re-evaluation.
Key points:
Described by Backeberg (1950) Long treated as a synonym of Espostoa (e.g. Anderson 2001; Hunt et al. 2006) Nyffeler & Eggli (2010): restored Vatricania as a distinct genus Schlumpberger (2012): molecular data place it outside Espostoa, within a clade related to Weberbauerocereus and Cleistocactus Anatomical studies (Mauseth 1999): revealed multiple unique traits, including a double-walled hypodermis
The genus is therefore considered evolutionarily distinct and not part of Espostoa sensu stricto.
Species
Monotypic genus:
Notes
Forms some of the most impressive cactus “forests” in Bolivia. Despite morphological similarity to Espostoa, molecular and anatomical data clearly separate the genus. Shows affinity with the “Cleistocactus clade” rather than woolly columnar genera.
