Oreocereus celsianus

Oreocereus celsianus, or the old man of the mountain is a member of the family Cactaceae native to the high lands of the Andes in South America, and is named for its fluffy white hair, which may protect it from intense sunlight and extreme temperatures.

Oreocereus celsianus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Oreocereus
Species:
O. celsianus
Binomial name
Oreocereus celsianus
Synonyms
List
    • Cereus celsianus (Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) A. Berger
    • Cleistocactus celesianus (Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) A. Weber
    • Cleistocactus tupizensis (Vaupel) Backeb. & F.M. Knuth
    • Oreocereus bruennowii (Haage ex Rumpler) Backeb.
    • Oreocereus celsianus var. bruennowii (Haage ex Rumpler) Borg
    • Oreocereus maximus Backeb.
    • Oreocereus neocelsianus Backeb.
    • Pilocereus bruennowii Haage ex Rumpler
    • Pilocereus celsianus Lem. ex Salm-Dyck

Distribution

Oreocereus celsianus occurs in the Bolivian departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija, Peru, and the Argentine province of Jujuy in the puna vegetation at altitudes of 2900 to 3600 meters.

Ecology

Pollinated by hummingbirds in spring.

Description

Oreocereus celsianus grows with upright, columnar shoots that branch out from the base and reaches heights of up to around 3 metres (10 ft) tall with a diameter of 8 to 12 centimeters. O. celsianus is covered in a downy white hair and thorns, with greatest density at the tips of stems receding to near-bare at the base. There are 10 to 25 rounded and tuberous ribs, typically with eleven ribs, has many long, brown spines. The large areoles on it are white, densely covered with thorns and covered with hairs up to 5 centimeters long. The strong, one to four central spines are up to 8 centimeters long, the seven to nine radial spines are up to 2 centimeters long. The plants blooms in spring with long, tubular, bright, slightly purplish-pink flowers, appear near the tips of the shoots. They are 7 to 9 centimeters long and have a diameter of up to 3 centimeters. The fruits are spherical.[2]

  • Flower
    Flower
  • Flower closeup
    Flower closeup
  • Spines closeup
    Spines closeup
  • Tip of shoot
    Tip of shoot

Taxonomy

The first description as Pilocereus celsianus was made in 1850 by Charles Lemaire in Joseph zu Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck's Cacteae in horto Dyckensi cultae anno 1849.[3] The specific epithet celsianus honors the French gardener Jean-François Cels (1810-1888), who, together with his brother Auguste Cels (1809-1898), was known for growing cacti and orchids. Vincenzo Riccobono placed them in the genus Oreocereus in 1909.[4]

Cultivation

Thrives at 10–12 °C (50–54 °F), with a frost-tolerance of down to −12 °C (10 °F) and requiring protection from hot sunlight. Prefers full sun and light watering. Propagates from seed.

Oreorcereus celsianus in pot

References
  1. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  2. Eggli, Urs; Newton, Leonard E. (2010-11-30). Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names. Springer. p. 43. ISBN 978-3-642-05597-3.
  3. "Cacteæ in horto dyckensi cultæ anno 1849, secundum tribus et genera digestæ additis adnotationibus botanicis characteribusque specierum in enumeratione ..." HathiTrust. 2022-10-19. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  4. Palermo, Orto botanico di (1908). "Bollettino del R. Orto Botanico di Palermo". Libreria internazionale, Alberto Reber. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
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