Cleistocactus orthogonus

Cleistocactus orthogonus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Cleistocactus
Species:
C. orthogonus
Binomial name
Cleistocactus orthogonus

Cleistocactus orthogonus is a species of Cleistocactus found in Bolivia.

Description

Cleistocactus orthogonus grows as a shrub with short, upright, light green stems that are probably unbranched. These stems can reach up to 80 centimeters in height and are about 4 to 5 centimeters in diameter. The plant has 15 to 17 straight, low ribs, with closely spaced gray areoles along them. From these ribs, about ten needle-like, whitish spines radiate outward; they are fine, straight, and measure between 0.5 and 3 centimeters in length. These spines are not distinguishable as either central or marginal spines.

The flowers are straight, tubular, and radially symmetrical, colored in shades of magenta to pink, and measure approximately 4.5 to 5 centimeters long. The spherical fruits are pinkish-red and can reach up to 1.5 centimeters in diameter.[1]

Distribution

Cleistocactus orthogonus is native to Bolivia, specifically in the Department of Potosí, in the province of Cornelio Saavedra, within the municipality of Betanzos.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1959 by Martín Cárdenas. The name "orthogonus" comes from Greek words meaning "straight" (orthos) and "edge" (gonia), referring to the plant's straight, vertical ribs.[2]

References

  1. ^ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. p. 122. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.
  2. ^ "fr:salle-de-lecture [Bibliothèque numérique du CF]". Au Cactus Francophone (in French). 2025-01-10. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
  • Media related to Cleistocactus orthogonus at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Cleistocactus orthogonus at Wikispecies