Origin and Habitat: Distribution: north of Chanaral, Atacama, Chile.
Altitude: 80-400 metres above sea level.
Habitat: It grows in open, fully exposed and very stony coastal areas in a harsh environment together with Copiapoa lembckeiSN|1745]]SN|1745]] and Eriosyce species. The climate is very dry, summer is hot, with extremely rare rainfall in winter. The dry season lasts 8-12 months and in some years it is possible to have no rainfall at all. Rainfall less than 100 mm per annum. The plants obtain water mainly from condensation. It's a very drought tolerant plant.

• Copiapoa bridgesii (Pfeiff.) Backeb.
• Copiapoa marginata var. bridgesii (Pfeiff.) A.E.Hoffm.
• Echinocactus bridgesii Pfeiff.

• Copiapoa echinoides (Lem.) Britton ex Rose in Britton & Rose
• Echinocactus echinoides Lem. ex Salm-Dyck
• Copiapoa bridgesii (Pfeiff.) Backeb.
• Copiapoa marginata var. bridgesii (Pfeiff.) A.E.Hoffm.
• Echinocactus bridgesii Pfeiff.
• Copiapoa cupreata (Poselg. ex Rümpler) Backeb.
• Echinocactus cupreatus Poselg. ex Rümpler
• Hildmannia cupreata (Poselg. ex Rümpler) Kreuz. & Buining
• Neoporteria tuberisulcata var. cupreata (Poselg. ex Rümpler) Donald & G.D.Rowley
• Copiapoa dura F.Ritter
• Copiapoa echinoides var. cuprea (F.Ritter) A.E.Hoffm.
• Copiapoa cuprea F.Ritter
• Copiapoa macracantha (Salm-Dyck) Mereg.
• Echinocactus macracanthus Salm-Dyck

Description: Copiapoa bridgesiiSN|1109]]SN|1414]] is a soft-bodied, cylindrical, very spiny cactus which is often listed as a synonym of Copiapoa echinoidesSN|1109]]SN|1109]], but it occurs with minor frequence and its relationship with Copiapoa echinoidesSN|1109]]SN|1109]] is unclear. It is probably a good species (or at the most a subspecies) rather than a variety of Copiapoa echinoidesSN|1414]]SN|1109]].
Habit: Plants solitary or forming loose clumps.
Stems: At first globose, then short cylindrical to cylindrical, grass green, 20-40 cm high, 5-8 cm in diameter, very woolly at apex.
Ribs: 8-12(-13), straight, rounded, slightly humped.
Areoles: Small to large, ovate , with thick white-brownish felt, close set to confluent,.
Spines: Black to brown, becoming gray with age.
Central spines: 1-3, thick, porrect, pointing upward, 1,5-5 cm long.
Radial spines: 5-10, awl shaped, stout, straight or somewhat curved, 1-2(2,5) cm long.
Flowers: open funnelform, Pale yellow, 3-4 cm long. Scales of ovary and flower-tube hairless in their axils. Outer perianth-segments narrowly ovate, acute, reddish; inner perianth-segments broadly oblong, obtuse.
Fruits: Round to elongate, 1,5 cm on diameter.
Seeds: 1,7-2 x 1,3-1,5 mm.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) N. L. Britton, J. N. Rose “The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family.” Volume 4, The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1923
2) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
3) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/ago/2011
4) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
5) Graham Charles “Copiapoa” Cirio Pub. Services, 1999
6) Friedrich Ritter - Kakteen in Südamerika (Ergebnisse meiner 20jährigen Feldforschungen) 1980
7) “Acta Horti Botanici Bucurestiensis” Editura "Alo, București!", 2001

Cultivation and Propagation: The location has to be warm and bright, and it has to be in direct sun. Otherwise the bodies tend to elongate in cultivation, but they should be protected from excessive heat and sun in summer. In the spring and late summer, water moderately. Between these times there are dry rest periods. In the winter keep the plant absolutely dry. The roots need a lot of room, so make sure that the pot is large enough. Use regular cacti soil with very good drainage.
Keep warm and dry in winter (10°C) to avoid rot. Not highly tolerant of a great deal of frost. (Frost tolerance 0°C)
Propagation: Seeds (offsets rarely), Grafting is often used to speed growth rate of seedlings and to create a back-up to plants in collection.