Original Publication

Echinocactus coquimbanus Karwinsky in Förster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2. 601. 1885.

Transferred to Copiapoa by Britton & Rose in The Cactcaeae .

Ritter points out:

RÜMPLER gibt als Autor KARW. an. SCHUMANN erklärt (1898), die Autorschaft von KARWINSKY sei selbstredend ein Irrtum. Da RÜMPLER die Originalbeschreibung machte, hat er als Autor zu gelten, wie auch GÜRKE schon 1908 RUEMPL.. als Autor setzte.

Original Description  - RÜMPLER

"Coquimbo-Igelcactus

 

Vaterland. Aufgefunden in der Umgegend von Coquimbo, dem Hauptorte der chilenischen Provinz Coquimbo. Körper länglich-rund, hellgrün. Rippen wenig in die Augen fallend, destomehr die Höcker. Stachelpolster gewölbt, in der Jugend mit kurzer Wolle besetzt, später kahl. Randstacheln 5-6, bis 1 cm lang, schwarzbraun, später grau, gebogen-horizontal; Mittelstacheln fehlen.

 

Die Blüte ist wahrscheinlich noch nicht beobachtet worden.“ 

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English translation

Coquimbo Hedgehog Cactus

Found in the surroundings of Coquimbo, the capital of the Chilean province Coquimbo. Body elongated-globose, bright green. Ribs not eye catching, unlike the tubercles. Areoles convex, covered with short wool when young, later glabrous. Radial spines 5-6, to 1 cm long, black brown, later grey, curved-horizontal; central spine absent.

Flowers have probably not yet been observed.

from Britton & Rose The Cactaceae volume 3: 87

Plants clustered, forming mounds up to 1 meter broad and 6 din. high, composed of several hundred heads; individual heads 12 cm. in diameter or less, pale green, at flowering time crowned by a dense mass of long white wool; ribs 10 to 17, obtuse, somewhat tubercled; radial spines 8 to 10, slender, straight or somewhat recurved; central spines 1 or 2, stouter, straight, 1.5 to 2.5 cm. long, black to gray; flowers campanulate, 3 cm. long; outer perianth segments distinct, linear, acute, green; inner perianth segments oblanceolate, yellow, obtuse; tube nearly or quite wanting; filaments, style, and stigma-lobes yellow; ovary small, turbinate, naked.

Province of Coquimbo, Chile.
Type locality: Near the town of Coquimbo, Chile.

The Philippi Herbarium at Santiago de Chile has a specimen from Coquimbo, near La Serena, labeled “Echinocactus cinerascens Lemaire,” which is doubtless to be referred here. E. cinerascens originally came from Copiapó, an interior town, much farther north than Coquimbo. Dr. Rose found this species very abundant on the hills near La Serena not far from Coquimbo (No. 19261).

Related to this species, and perhaps not distinct from it, is Echinocactus fiedlerianus Schumann (Gesamtb. Kakteen Nachtr. 121. 1903), but it grows farther north, not along the coast but in an interior valley. The type was collected by Mr. Sohrens near Vallenar, Huasco, Chile. Dr. Rose did not obtain specimens but he is now confident that this is the plant which he saw in great abundance just south of Vallenar. Schumann misunderstood the relationship for he places it between Echinocactus megalothelos and E. schickendantzii, two species of Gymnocalycium. It may be briefly characterized as follows:

Cespitose, with a turnip-like root, depressed-globose, grayish, covered with copious wool at the apex; ribs 13, tuberculate; areoles depressed; radial spines 4 to 7, 3 cm. long, subulate; flowers yellow, greenish, without Illustration: 

Blühende Kakteen 3: p1. 121, as Echinocactus coquimbanus.

Plate x, figure 2, shows one of the plants collected by Dr. Rose in flower.

Distribution

References in Literature

PK Comments

During the 2001 and 2003 Copiapoathons, we regarded all Copiapoa found south of the Rio Huasco as members of the Coquimbana Group. During Copiapoathon 2004 we followed a track through the Quebrada Chañaral from Domeyko to Carrizalillo and on to the coast at Caleta Chañaral. If the plants seen all belong to a single species, then the range of variability between the various (usually quite homogenous) populations is staggering and sets a bench mark for the variability that can be expected for other Copiapoa. Unfortunately it is likely that only DNA or iso-enzyme analysis can help to unravel such mysteries.

Judge for yourselves at Copiapoa coquimbana in habitat.

The Coquimbana Group in literature consists of

C. alticostata  right along the road from Vallenar to Huasco, just across the bridge at Maitencillo, narrow track along the quebrada.

C. coquimbana var armata (FR 1461) from the 'upper reaches of the Rio Choros'. Not sure where that is, but have not yet bothered to consult the detailed topo maps. Quebrada de los Choros runs from Trapiche west to the coast. We took pictures in 2003 of coquimbanas at Trapiche and about half way to the coast., before turning back as we ran out of time. I guess if Rio Choros = Quebrada de los Choros, then 'the upper reaches' are at Trapiche?

Copiapoa fiedleriana: around Huasco, seen quite a few over the last 3 trips.

C. pendulina: supposed to be the southern most Copiapoa and therefore worth looking for. I took a picture of a plant labelled C. pendulina at the ranger station at Fray Jorge, but such labelled plants are notoriously inaccurate - still, I have nothing better to go on. It is supposed to grow just south of the boundary of Fray Jorge's NP between Mina Talca and the Rio Limari - good luck!

In 2004, we turned west at Domeyko and stopped a number of times in the '16.5 - 20 km west of Domeyko' range given as the type locality of Copiapoa pseudocoquimbana var domeykoensis FR 1091 in Englera 16. Proceeded to Carrizalillo and got caught up in the (annual?) round-up of thousands of donkeys - just like in a wild west movie! I recorded S314 at km 16.5.

Copiapoa pseudocoquimbana var chaniarensis is reported as 29 km west of Domeyko FR230a I recorded S315 at km 29.2

Copiapoa pseudocoquimbano var vulgata is reported 'from Coquimbo' but Englera 16 gives 'Carrizalillo' as loc. 4 for FR230.

Fom Carizalillo we followed a track to the coast and found some clumps with amazingly large individual heads near Caleta Chañaral. I can see similarities with C. echinoides! I'm probably the only one :-)

This could perhaps be his FR1086: C. pseudocoquimbana var pseudocoquimbana reported from: Loc 1 - N of Choros Bajos Loc 2 - 30 km No of La Serena Loc 3 - ca 30 km N of Carrizalillo to Toto. (Englera suggests Toto = Totoral, but that would be way off track - another in the series of legendary cock ups that is Copiapoa taxonomy? Loc 4 - ca 30 km N of La Serena. My guess is that this is along R5 at Los Hornos - one of our regular leg stretch stops as there is a little lay by with C. coquimbana and a range of wild flowers, depending on the time of year, is this spot seems to get more fog / rain than elsewhere Loc 5 - Tres Cruces - This is east of Ruta 5 , second turning east after Trapiche - not been there.

C. vallenarensis: = FR 1087.
Ritter gives 7 locations:
Loc 1 - the airport at Vallenar
Loc 2 - 30 km E of Vallenar
Loc 3 - Maitencillo (but that would clash with C. alticostata!)
Loc 4 - Vallenar, Airport
Loc 5 - Huasco, high hill in the north (that would put it across the Rio Huasco and for me, in C. fiedleriana country)
Loc 6 - above Freirina (that would put in alticostata / fiedleriana country) Loc 7 - Vallenar

Confusing to say the least.

FR718 is C. coquimbana var. wagenknechtii
6 Localities:
Loc 1: La Serena
Loc 2: El Tambo, i.e. Elqui Valley, before Vicuna
Loc 3: 13 km East of Huasco (this is the odd one out from fiedleriana / alticostata country)
Loc 4 - 19 km W of Vicuna
Loc 5 - 3 km below Vicuna
Loc 6 - West of Vicuna

In 2001 we found a marvellous spot in the Elqui Valley, about half way along the artificial lake formed by the Embalsa Puclaro with a large 'No Entry' sign at the entrance to a track from the main road. Needless to say that this was enough for Leo to turn up the track. Numerous lorries drove to and fro, not sure if they were taking stuff from a quary or bringing stuff to a land fill. The plants here formed wonderful symmetrical clump, reminiscent of the way that C. longistaminea and C. grandiflora do around Esmeralda, but with smaller heads and quite unlike the coquimbanas I have seen mentioned above. This feature in mature plants would seem to be a distinct form worthy of a fa or var name, but which? Could of course be purely environmental - close to the coast there's lots more moisture in the air, leading to fewer large heads while the dryer inland site produces more but smaller heads. For me, this form is wagenknechtii at what ever rank you like.

In 2003, the entrance to this track was firmly fenced off. Wonder what happened to the plants.

I looked this info up since the October 2004 trip, as I was impressed with the plants along the coast south of Carrizalillo. We seem to have some logical regional groupings / forms with several flies in the ointment.