''Copiapoa cinerea'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of plant in the genus ''

Copiapoa ''Copiapoa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, from the dry coastal deserts, particularly the Atacama Desert, of northern Chile. Description It comprises 32 morphologically defined species and 5 heterotypic subspe ...

'' in the family

Cactaceae A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

. The epithet ''cinerea'' comes from the Latin word for ash, by reference to the colour of the epidermis. It comes from the region of Antofagasta and the coastal zones of northern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. The area is very arid. However, there are dense fogs, due to cold streams of the Pacific Ocean. These fogs are frequent, in early morning or late afternoon at an altitude between . The ash-grey to white coloured epidermis contrasts with typically black spines and woolly crown when adult.

Description

This cactus is globular, then columnar up to tall, in diameter, with 30 ribs. Only old plants offset from the base. The light coloration is a protection against desiccation. In culture, the epidermis is often greenish. Flowers are yellow, with a diameter of , at the top of the plants. Copiapoa cinerea purpurea 01

Cultivation

''Copiapoa cinerea'' is slow growing and hard to keep, because of the risk of rotting. Grafting is a solution. It rarely flowers in cultivation. Before all, it needs well drained soils. Sunny place, but protection against excessive sun in summer. In summer, it needs light and regular watering, but let the soil dry between two waterings. In winter, keep warm (no less than 8 °C) and absolutely dry.

Synonyms

* ''Echinocactus cinereus''

References

Sources

External links

* * *
photos on www.cactiguide.com
* http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/COPIAPOA/Copiapoa_cinerea/Copiapoa_cinerea/Copiapoa_cinerea.htm Cacti of South America Endemic flora of Chile Flora of northern Chile Atacama Desert Plants described in 1922 Cactoideae {{Cactus-stub