Chile 2015

[DaveW]

There were some stands of Copiapoa's near here.

Along with the local lizard.

[DaveW]

20/10/15 Carazalillo.

Another T. napina ssp riperia site where plants were in flower.

Note the yellow flower above with yellow style and stigma, but the following was also part of the same population having a reddish flower and red style and stigma, Therefore plants may not always comply in all respects with the original descriptions.

We unearthed one to show most of the plant is underground, however in dry periods all this type of Thelocephala is usually buried since the root is contractile and pulls them under the surface, with the sand blowing over the top and covering them until the next wetter occasion, which can be years apart.

Edit:- I should have mentioned riparia was found many years ago by Rodolfo Wagenknecht who told Paul Hutchison of the locality. Hutchison gave it the provisional name of "Neoporteria napina v. floccosa (lanigera)" but never published it, though some plants entered cultivation under that name. It was illustrated in Die Cactaceae (1962: 3787. Abb 3435) as Neochilenia sp. It was finally officially named by Maechler and Walter in Cactus World Vol 24: no. 3.

[DaveW]

These Thelocephala's were reviewed by Helmut Walter in our Journal. They largely grow at the mouth of three valleys (Quebrada's) in this region, or along them.

20/1/15 The furthest inland Thelocephala. They grew in more rocky ground here.

[DaveW]

21/10/15. On to the Transito Valley.

[DaveW]

Also here were some Eriosyce which Roger says are Ritter's lampampaensis.

Also Eulychnia's. I think Phil and Nobby were previously correct, since seeing the flower more side on, though not as woolly as in some species, what I named a Trichocereus before was a Eulychnia.

[DaveW]

21/10/15 Maitencillo.

A few Copiapoa's here and still a patch of the wildflowers from the "flowering" desert" left from the earlier rains.

However the main reason for the stop was Thelocephala napina ssp. lembckei. Unlike many of the other Thelocephala's this largely stays above the ground rather than buries itself in dry spells. In cultivation it usually get longer and finger like at first. Ritter first thought this was the old Echinocactus reichei refound and gave it his number FR 501, but later realised it was not and renamed it lembckei.

This was the largest we found.

T. lembckei is quite variable and within the same population we found some more T. napina like ones growing alongside white woolly ones tending more towards T. napina ssp. challensis.

The only one I found in flower.

[DaveW]

We found Copiapoa alticostata in this region too.

[DaveW]

We also found Neoporteria crispa. The spination varied from the thin almost hairlike spination, common in cultivation to stiffer spined forms.

Whereas this more hair like form is more typical of most in cultivation.

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[DaveW]

Around the area we found Copiapoa dura.

And what are more typical of what we know as Thelocephala lembckei in cultivation.

Reports of holes indicating plants have been illegally collected are not always reliable. If revisited later some show regeneration, indicating the holes were Guanaco's or Goat scrapes they made when eating the tops off the plants, but leaving the tuberous roots which later produce new heads.

[nobby]

Hallo Dave,

nice report and nice location north of Huasco.
If the Copiapoa is from that location (with Th. lembckei) it should be Copiapoa coquimbana "Fiedleriana".

Copiapoa coquimbana "Fiedleriana"

Copiapoa echinoides = Copiapoa dura = Copiapoa cuprea can be seen north the Carizalillo Valley.

Copiapoa echinoides

The pictures are from November 2016.

Cheers Nobby