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Echinopsis bridgesii Salm-Dyck

Family: CACTACEAE

Publication: Cact. Hort. Dyck. (1849) ed. 2: 39 1850

Description

Echinopsis bridgesii, is a shrubby cactus species forming clumps of three to six stems with masses of white trumpet-shaped flowers in the summer. Two subspecies of Echinopsis bridgesii are recognized. Subspecies yungasensis tends to be somewhat smaller than subspecies bridgesii and occurs near Coripata.

Remarks: Do not confound with Trichocereus bridgesii which is a synonym of Echinopsis lageniformis.

Stems: Globose to shortly cylindrical, to 40 cm high and 13 cm acrosss.

Ribs; 9-12, prominent, not notched.

Areoles: Large, brown.

Central spines: One ti sometimes several or absent, grey with dark tip.

Radial spines: 8-10, very unequal, brownish.

Flowers: White, trumpet-shaped 15-18 cm long.

Origin and Habitat

Echinopsis bridgesii is endemic to Bolivia, where it occurs in Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz and Santa Cruz.

Altitude range: This species grows at elevations of 1,000 to 3,600 metres above sea level.

Habitat and Ecology: It occurs in wet and dry inter-Andean valleys and,Yungas. It is a very common species that grows well on disturbed land. There is a constant turnover on cultivated lands, but otherwise the species doesn’t seem to be affected by any major threats.

Bibliography

Major references and further lectures

  1. N. L. Britton, J. N. Rose: “The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family.” Vol I, The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1919

  2. Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001

  3. James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011

  4. David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. “The New Cactus Lexicon” dh books, 2006

  5. Curt Backeberg “Die Cactaceae: Handbuch der Kakteenkunde,” Volume 2 G. Fischer, 1959

  6. Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names.” Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010

  7. Gordon Douglas Rowley “Reunion of the genus Echinopsis.” In: IOS Bulletin. Journal of the International Organization for Succulent Plant Study. 3(3): 98, 1974.

  8. Lowry, M. 2013. Echinopsis bridgesii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2015.