Origin and Habitat: Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)

• Copiapoa pseudocoquimbana f. variegata hort.

• Copiapoa coquimbana (Karw. ex Rümpler) Britton & Rose
• Echinocactus coquimbanus Karw. ex Rümpler
• Copiapoa coquimbana var. alticostata (F.Ritter) A.E.Hoffm.
• Copiapoa alticostata F.Ritter
• Copiapoa coquimbana var. armata F.Ritter
• Copiapoa coquimbana var. imbricata Kníže
• Copiapoa imbricata KK102 El Molle Kníže
• Copiapoa coquimbana var. pendulina (F.Ritter) A.E.Hoffm.
• Copiapoa coquimbana subs. pendulina (F.Ritter) Doweld
• Copiapoa pendulina F.Ritter
• Copiapoa coquimbana var. pseudocoquimbana (F.Ritter) A.E.Hoffm.
• Copiapoa coquimbana subs. pseudocoquimbana (F.Ritter) Doweld
• Copiapoa pseudocoquimbana F.Ritter
• Copiapoa coquimbana vallenarensis (F.Ritter) A.E.Hoffm.
• Copiapoa coquimbana subs. vallenarensis (F.Ritter) Doweld
• Copiapoa vallenarensis F.Ritter
• Copiapoa coquimbana var. wagenknechtii F.Ritter
• Copiapoa neocoquimbana var. wagenknechtii (F.Ritter) Y.Itô
• Copiapoa wagenknechtii F.Ritter ex Backeb.
• Copiapoa militaris Kníže
• Copiapoa neocoquimbana Y.Itô
• Copiapoa pepiniana (Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) Backeb.
• Cereus pepinianus Lem. ex Salm-Dyck
• Copiapoa pepiniana (K.Schum. non Lem.) Backeb. in Backeb. & F.M.Knuth
• Echinocactus pepinianus Cels ex Salm-Dyck
• Neoporteria pepiniana (Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) Borg
• Copiapoa pseudocoquimbana var. chaniarensis F.Ritter
• Copiapoa pseudocoquimbana var. domeykoensis F.Ritter
• Copiapoa domeykoensis Kníže
• Copiapoa pseudocoquimbana f. variegata hort.
• Copiapoa pseudocoquimbana var. vulgata F.Ritter
• Copiapoa serenana M.Voldan

Description: Variegated Copiapoa are very rare in cultivation and some of these variegated plants are very priced by collectors. All variegates are mutants. Something has gone wrong with the cellular structure of the growth tip (apical meristem) of the plant. As a result of this mutation, chlorophyll is missing from some or all layers of the plant epidermis. The odd variegate appears in many seedling batches in a small percentage (especially among hybrid seeds) and are generally separated from normal plants. Variegated plants grow slower and are generally smaller than non-variegates of the same species. Coloured areas are also generally weaker, and more susceptible to fungus, sunburn and other defects. A large well grown variegate Copiapoa is truly an achievement. These are harder to grow well than they appear.
Habit: Caespitose that branches profusely, forming large clumps.
Root: Turnip-like root.
Stems: Depressed-globose 20-30 cm high, 5-10 cm across covered with copious wool at the apex, particularly at flowering time. 10-15 cm in diameter
Ribs: There about 13 tuberculate ribs with a rounded, raised edge and a wide base.
Areoles: Apical, 5-8 mm diam, depressed or convex, covered with short wool when young, later glabrous about 0,5-0,8 cm, 2 cm apart.
Radial spines: 8-10 fairly slender or slightly curved horizontal, honey-amber, brown or black becoming gray with age.
Central spines: Absent or one or two thicker up to 3cm long.
Roots: Roots-strong, long, thick, narrower at top.
Flowers: Campanulate 3 cm long and grow from the center of the white wool at the apex. Outer segments of the perianth are linear and greenish; inner segments are wide, blunt and yellow.

Cultivation and Propagation: Variegated cacti are regarded as choice and difficult in cultivation, but despite that many of them are relatively easy to grow. But be aware that they cannot tolerate prolonged exposure to direct sun light (especially during the hottest summer days), so grow them in half-shade or under filtered sun. They are sometime seen as grafted plants, but some of this colourful plants (those with some chlorophyll) are able to grow on their own roots and are priced by collectors.
Soil: Use mineral well-permeable substratum with little organic matter (peat, humus).
Watering: Water sparingly from March till October, and keep perfectly dry in winter, at temperatures from 5 to 15 degrees centigrade. (In general these plants are more tender and cannot endure freezing temperatures). In the rest period no high atmospheric humidity!!
Propagation: By seeds, grafting or cutting. Because the variegation is due to the presence of two kinds of plant tissue, propagating the plant must be by a vegetative method of propagation that preserves both types of tissue in relation to each other. A most common way way to cultivate this partially de-coloured cultivars is to graft them onto another cactus which has chlorophyll and which will provide sugar to the mutant scion. The chlorophyll containing bottom part of the graft, called the stock, can be any number of different columnar cactus species.
Remarks: Seeds from variegated parents often give raise to some variegated seedlings too.