''Austrocactus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of cacti with ten species endemic of southern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

, in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and

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 ...

. They have solitary or branched bodies, the ribs are usually divided into tubercules (except ''Austrocactus spiniflorus''). The tallest species in this genus is 80 centimeters.

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are pink, orange, red or yellow with a characteristic spiny tube.

Species

Ribs divided into tubercles: * stems upright ** large stems (>25 cm) *** '' Austrocactus bertinii'' *** ''Austrocactus dusenii'' – synonym of ''Austrocactus bertinii'' *** '' Austrocactus intertextus sensu Speg.'' *** ''Austrocactus patagonicus'' – synonym of ''Austrocactus bertinii'' ** smaller stems (<25 cm) *** '' Austrocactus ferrarii'' *** '' Austrocactus longicarpus'' *** '' Austrocactus philippii'' * stems prostrate ** stems with adventitious roots *** '' Austrocactus colloncurensis'' *** '' Austrocactus coxii'' *** ''Austrocactus gracilis'' – synonym of ''Austrocactus coxii'' *** '' Austrocactus hibernus'' ** stems without adventitious roots *** '' Austrocactus subandinus'' Ribs smooth: * '' Austrocactus spiniflorus''

References

External links

Cactiguide.com: ''Austrocactus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q137862 Cactoideae Cactoideae genera Cacti of South America Flora of Argentina Flora of Chile Flora of Colombia Flora of Ecuador Flora of Peru