Copiapoa - Living on the Edge
Copiapoa castanea ritter.
currently regarded as a synonym of Copiapoa serpentisulcata in The New Cactus Lexicon (2006)
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Original
Description

Ritter F. (1962), in Backeberg C. (1962), Die Cactaceae 6:3820

 

References in Literature


 

Ritter F. in Hildegard Winter Katalog

 

nomen nudum (1959 and 1960)
FR 711
Körper u. St. kastanienbraun.
Body and spines burnt chestnut coloured by the sun.


 
Ritter F. (1962), in Backeberg C. (1962),
Die Cactaceae 6:3820
 

Original description


 

Ritter F. (1980)
Kakteen in Südamerika (3):1093

  As a variety of C. serpentisulcata.

 

Taylor N.P. (1981)
A commentary on Copiapoa , The Cactus and Succulent Journal of Great Britain, 43(2/3): 49-60

  'C. serpentisulcata F. Ritter in Cactus (Paris) 15(66): 22, with fig. (1960); Kakt. Südamer. 3: 1093, fig. 1044 (1980). Type: Prov. Atacama, N. of Chañaral, 1954, Ritter 246 (ZSS!). Syn. C. serpentisulcata var. castanea F. Ritter, loc. cit., fig. 1015 (1980). Growing with C. cinerascens

Very distinctive. Placed in the same section as C. cinerea by Ritter.'

 
Butcher D. (1982)
The Genus Copiapoa, Calandrinia II: 15
 

Merely listed as C. serpentisulcata var. castanea Ritter


 
Hoffmann A. E. (1989) 
Cactaceas en la flora silvestre de Chile: 102 - 107
  As a synonym of C. serpentisulcata

 
Meregalli M & Doni, C (1991)
Piante Grasse Speciale - Il Genere Copiapoa
  Reported as Copiapoa serpentisulcata ssp. castanea

 
Eggli U., Schick M.M. & Leuenburger, B.E. (1995)
Englera 16: 162

Copiapoa serpentisulcata var. castanea FR711
Sample at the Utrecht Herbarium
Image by Paul Klaassen

 

Ritter 711: Copiapoa serpentisulcata F. Ritter var. castanea F. Ritter - Kakt. Südamer. 3:1093-1094, fig. 1015, 1980.
Typus (1‘):
Ritter 711 (U, SGO, ZSS [seeds only])
(Type cited for U l.c. 1: iii, 1979.).

loc. 1: Chile:
 "Küste nördlich Chañaral“ = coast N of Chañaral   . - / - / 1956.

U HOLO
- (corp), ar, sp (Collection number inferred.
Assumed to be the holotype as this is the only specimen present.)

loc. 2: Chile:
 
"22 nördl. Chañ., Nr. 3“ = 22 [km ?] N of Chañaral / "16 km N. Chañ.l“ = 16km N of Chañaral.
SGO 124905 ISO - (corp), ar, sp
(lncludes a small seedling plant.)

loc. 3: Chile:
"ca. 22km nördl. Chañaral“ = c. 22 km N of Chañaral
. - / 12. / 1957.
ZSS SR13532 ISO - sem

 


 
Schulz R. & Kapitany A., (1996)
Copiapoa in their Environment
 

The authors concentrate on the environmental matters rather than taxonomy issues. They note that in the Pan de Azucar C. serpentisulcata grows side by side with C. cinerascens, with variable plants that may be natural hybrids. 


 

Charles G. J., (1998)
Copiapoa 

 

As a synonym of C. serpentisulcata.


 
Hoffmann  A.E. & Walter H.  (2004)
Cactaceas en la flora silvestre de Chile (2nd Ed.): 130
  As a synonym of C. serpentisulcata.

 
Hunt D. (Ed.) (2006)
The New Cactus Lexicon
  As a synonym of C. serpentisulcata.

 
Schulz, R. (2006)
Copiapoa in their Environment (2006)
   

 
     

Distribution

     

PK Comments

It is almost impossible to miss this plant when driving from the southern entrance of the Pan de Azucar National Park to the small fishing village of the same name. They grow along the track (now a paved road, as observed during our 2004 visit) alongside C. cinerascens. In 2001 we made several short stops along this track and ventured briefly into some of the small quebradas to the east of the track. We saw many plants that intermediate between these two taxa.

In 2003, we entered the Park from the east and explored some of the valleys that lie in the rain / fog shadow of the coastal hills. Here we came across a population of C. serpentisulcata without any C. cinerascens in sight.  This population was very uniform in appearance and may have been the source of the varietal name 'castanea'.

All material, except where otherwise credited, is Copyright
 © 2001-2006 Paul Klaassen
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