Native records: 1 botanical areas
Argentina Northwest
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Distribution is shown as WGSRPD Level 3 areas. It does not imply the species occurs throughout an entire area.
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Distribution last verified:
A small clustering cactus in the family Cactaceae, genus Echinopsis (formerly Chamaecereus), native to Tucumán province in northwestern Argentina. Slender finger-like stems form low mats and bright orange-red flowers open in early summer.
Description
A small, low-growing cactus forming clusters of slender, finger-like cylindrical stems 15–25 cm long and 1.5–2 cm thick. Each stem has 8–10 low ribs with small white radial spines (about 12 per areole) and 1–3 slightly longer centrals. In early summer the stem tips produce vivid orange-red to scarlet, funnel-shaped flowers 4–6 cm long and up to 7 cm across, opening during the day and lasting several days. The fruits are small green juicy structures that split lengthwise to release black seeds. The current name Echinopsis chamaecereus was established by H.Friedrich & Glaetzle in Bradleya (1983) when the monotypic genus Chamaecereus was submerged into Echinopsis; broader Echinopsis circumscription continues to be refined by molecular phylogenetics.
Habitat
Native to rocky slopes and gravelly ground on the eastern Andean foothills of Tucumán province, northwestern Argentina, at roughly 1,200–2,000 m elevation. Grows on well-drained sunny sites in a climate with a distinct wet and dry season.
Distribution areas
Argentina
- Argentina NorthwestNative
Climate of the native range
The Köppen climate classes found in the areas this plant is recorded as native to. It does not mean an entire area has that climate.
- BSh Arid, steppe, hot
- BWk Arid, desert, cold
- BSk Arid, steppe, cold
- Cwa Temperate, dry winter, hot summer
The same climate occurs in 35 areas worldwide, 34 of which have no record of this plant. See them on the map
A matching climate does not mean the plant can grow there. Range limits are also set by things other than climate — dispersal history, soils, competition. Source: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0 (observed period 1991–2020).
Other names
Peanut cactus、Coral cactus
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Echinopsis
Other species in Echinopsis
Sources
World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04
Argentina · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv
Open source