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Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 5:14 pm
by DaveW
We moved on. The Camanchaca (the mist, or really low cloud) which waters most of the plants was just starting to form and move inland.
On to the well known locality for Copiapoa humilis on the steep ridge behind the Virgen Del Carmen, Cuesta del Paposo. You have to go up the concrete steps and around the Virgin to get onto the narrow top of the ridge, which falls away quite steeply each side. Unfortunately I failed to take a picture of the Virgin itself, but Paul Klaassen illustrates and describes it here:-
https://pkcactus.info/2013/10/16/
further on we found another population of plants in the Copiapoa gigantea complex.
Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 1:09 pm
by DaveW
On to Taltal for Copiapoa cinerea ssp. albispina
There were some in the population with longer more honey coloured spines showing their relationship to the haseltoniana form Copiapoa gigantea.
Colin Parker photographing the plants.
Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 5:20 pm
by DaveW
The next day we went to a Copiapoa cinerea site in the Taltal region. Roger says this is Paul Hutchinson's site which he featured in his American Journal article on C. cinerea many years ago. Here we found C. cinerea and also Neoporteria occulta. As you can see in the background they dump road stone anywhere, hopefully not killing too many cacti.
Roger searching for Neoporteria occulta and Colin Norton more interested in the Copiapoa's
Down between the stones among the Copiapoa's are Neoporteria occulta.
Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 3:54 pm
by DaveW
Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 5:08 pm
by DaveW
On to Chanaral where we found Copiapoa calderana.
Roger climbing among the rocks to find the very well hidden Neoporteria pulchellus, which lives up to its Latin name since pulchellus = pretty or beautiful. Fred Kattermann called this plant Eriosyce pilispinus, but it is Ritter's pulchellus. This was why I said to Nick earlier you really need to go in a party with somebody who knows where the plants are, since those of us who had not visited Chile before would go straight past these places because they are not obvious habitats from the roads and even then it takes quite a bit of diligent searching to find the small plants. I am sure there were many more than we found in the time available.
Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 5:33 pm
by DaveW
Last stop of the day and back to my favourites the Thelocephala's.
Even when in flower you have to cover a lot of ground to find them. They are even harder to find most years when out of flower and more dehydrated.
Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 6:11 pm
by DaveW
A new day, another site.
T. aerocarpa (aero + carpa) gets it's name from the windblown fruit which scatter the seeds as they roll along on the long bristles, as in the picture below, although some other Thelocephala's also have quite bristly fruits.
The length of the spination varies in the population.
Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 5:36 pm
by DaveW
I think this one is Neoporteria carrizalensis, though evidently Neoporteria atroviridis occurs here too.
Also Copiapoa.
Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 5:03 pm
by DaveW
Another population of Thelocephala lembckei. These can be variable, ranging from spination similar to longer spined T. napina to white spined forms verging on T. challensis among some populations (as shown earlier) and growing mixed in with the reddish spined forms more familiar to us in cultivation.
Re: Chile 2015
Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 4:32 pm
by DaveW
Another Frierina site. Alticostata = high ribs.