Neoporteria coimasensis

Donate now to support the LLIFLE projects.
Your support is critical to our success.

Since 4 Aug 2013

Neoporteria coimasensis F.Ritter
Taxon xii. 34 (1963).
Family: CACTACEAE

Accepted Scientific Name: Eriosyce senilis subs. coimasensis (F.Ritter) Katt.
Eriosyce (Cactac.) gen. revis. & ampl. (Succ. Pl. Res., 1) 119 (1994)

Neoporteria coimasensis (Eriosyce senilis subs. coimasensis) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli
This plant has strong long brown-black spines that become greyish as they age.

Origin and Habitat: This plant is widely distributed in various locality of Coquimbo (Region 04) - Chile. Among them: Las Coimas, Las Chilcas, Salamanca, Metro, Choapa, Llapel, Combarbalá, Los Vilos, Palomar, Chagres.

Synonyms:

Eriosyce senilis subs. coimasensis (F.Ritter) Katt.

Neoporteria coimasensis F.Ritter
Neoporteria nidus var. coimascensis (F.Ritter) A.E.Hoffm.

See all synonyms of Eriosyce senilis

Description: Solitary spherical to short cylindrical cacti with very spiny stems, up to 15 (30-40) cm tall, 6 -10 cm in diameter.
Stem: Dark green to very dark purple-black.
Spines: variable between different populations , the type plant have strong long brown-black spines that become greyish as they age and almost obscure the plant, while others have spines that are much shorter or thinner.
Roots: taproot.
Flowers: magnificent hot pink/magenta with a contrasting neon yellow throats in spring up to 5 cm long.

Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Eriosyce senilis complex

Eriosyce senilis (Backeb.) Katt.: ssp. senilis: It has thin twisted spines and flowers with few bristles and wool. Origin: Rio Choapa. It is quite variable in spination.
Eriosyce senilis subs. coimasensis (F.Ritter) Katt.: It has strong stiff straight spines. Origin: Las Copimas south to Monte Negro.
Eriosyce senilis subs. elquiensis Katt.: It has thin twisted spines but the flowers have many bristles and wool. Origin: Elqui Valley.
Eriosyce senilis var. multicolor hort.: Spines are multicoloured blond/white, yellow, brown to almost black; straight to strongly curled often hairlike soft and flexible.
Neoporteria gerocephala Y.Itô: has a dark spherical purplish body densely covered with soft interwoven white spines.
Neoporteria gerocephala f. aurea hort.: is a selected cultivars with golden or amber-yellow spines.
Neoporteria gerocephala f. monstruosa hort.: is a monstrous highly branching cactus with very short bristly spines that forms dense clumps. Maybe we can call it a freak?
Neoporteria nidus (Söhrens) Britton & Rose: has shorter flowers about 3 cm long. Distribution. East of Ovalle, Chile.