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Original
Description
Backeberg C.
(1936), Jahrb. DKG. 1:104
Copiapoa gigantea Bckbg. n. sp.
von Curt Backeberg, Hamburg
Copiapoa gigantea: Colurnnaris,
profilerans, vertice Iana fulva et aculeis clausa; olivacea-subcinerea; costis
ad 22, modice undatis; areolis ad 18 mm inter se remotis; aculeis 7 radialibus,
centralibus 1 (bis 2?), umbrinis.
Gruppen, Einzeltriebe
sehr dick und bis 1 m hoch werdend, Scheitel
rötlich-gelbbraunwollig, von Stacheln überragt, 17 bis 22 Rippen, schwach
gewellt, Scheitel mittelgroß; Areolen bis 18 mm entfernt, schwarzbraun-filzig;
etwa 7 Randstacheln und i (bis 2?) Mittelstacheln, alle ± gleich lang, leicht
gebogen und strahlig, anfangs hornfarbig und dunkel gespitzt, später
schwärzlichbraun. Chile: Provinz Antofagasta, auf nachts oft nebelfeuchten
Berggipfeln.
Die Art steht der Copiapoa cinerea
nahe, ist aber von dieser deutlich unterschieden; der Körper ist weniger
kreidig und zeichnet sich besonders bei jüngeren Stücken durch die starke
Bestachelung aus; auffallend ist das Durchleuchten der gelblich-ölgrünen
Epidermis durch den zartkreidigen Belag. Die neue Art hat einen braunwolligen,
mittelgroßen Scheitel, entfernt stehende große Areolen, gewellte Rippen, etwa
8 ziemlich lange, dunkelbraune Stacheln, während Copiapoa
cinerea einen kleinen weißwolligen Scheitel,
kleine, dichtstehende Areolen, glatte, oben flache
Rippen und schwarze, auch zuerst wenige Stacheln besitzt.
References in Literature
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Backeberg C.
(1936),
Jahrb. DKG. 1:104 |
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Original description, see above |
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Ritter F. in
Hildegard Winter Katalog |
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Appears in the 1955 and 1956 Katalogs as
FR209 - Copiapoa gigantea, Aus Taltal, Chile.
Later, FR 209 appears as C. scopulina.
In 1957, the name appears for FR208a, but by 1958, this is listed as C.
eremophila and moved to FR 476. |
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Backeberg C.
(1959),
Die Cactaceae 3:1902 |
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Considered to be thicker in stem diameter and with thinner,
needle-like spines than C. cinerea. |
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Ritter F. (1980)
Kakteen in
Südamerika (3):1099 |
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Ritter concludes that Backeberg's C. gigantea is the same as his own
C. eremophila, first used in Winter's 1958 catalogue.
He
further makes a new combination: C. gigantea var. haseltoniana |
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Taylor N.P. (1981)
A
commentary on Copiapoa , The Cactus and Succulent Journal of Great
Britain, 43(2/3): 49-60
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'C.
gigantea Backeb. (1936) = C.
cinerea var.
haseltoniana' |
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Butcher D.
(1982)
The Genus Copiapoa, Calandrinia II :08 |
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'C.
gigantea
Backb. 1936. Plant no.16, map 4. KK 80, KK 614.
Body-to I m high, 20 cm across,
grey green, branching from base. 14-22 ribs, almost straight, thickened at
areoles. Crown very spiny with reddish or yellowishbrown wool;
Areoles-brownish or black; Spines-horny-yellow, tipped darker, spreading,
straight or slightly curved. 7 radials 1-2 cm long, 1-2 centrals; Flower
yellow; Habitat-2 km from Paposo, Pampa, Antofagasta.
Note:
This species may be distinguished from C. haseltoniana by the shorter
more numerous 'orange' coloured spines and less wool. The habitat areas of
these two species overlap and Ritter suggests that they are synonymous.' |
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Hoffmann A.
E. (1989)
Cactaceas en la flora silvestre de Chile: 102 - 107 |
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Includes both C. gigantea and C.
haseltoniana as varieties of C. cinerea. |
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Meregalli M
& Doni, C (1991)
Piante Grasse Speciale - Il Genere Copiapoa |
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Eggli U., Schick
M.M. & Leuenburger, B.E. (1995)
Englera 16:
162 |
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Schulz R. & Kapitany
A., (1996)
Copiapoa in their
Environment |
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The authors recognise this taxon
as a member of the C.cinerea complex.
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Charles G. J., (1998)
Copiapoa
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As C. cinerea var. gigantea
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Hunt D.
(Ed.) (2001)
Coping with Copiapoa - 2,
Cactaceae Systematics Initiatives 12: 15-17 |
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As a synonym of C. haseltoniana, as a member of the Cinerea group |
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Hoffmann A.E. & Walter H. (2004)
Cactaceas en la flora silvestre
de Chile (2nd Ed.): 130 |
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Hunt D. (Ed.)
(2006)
The New Cactus Lexicon |
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as a synonym of Copiapoa
cinerea
subsp.
haseltoniana |
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Schulz, R. (2006)
Copiapoa in their Environment (2006) |
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Distribution(Map)
PK Comments
We visited the location of this taxon, along the coast
road, north of Taltal in 2001 (S069) and 2003 (S149). The plants here
certainly have the largest individual stems that we had seen on any member of
the Cinerea complex, making it quite clear why Backeberg used this name. But is
size enough to warrant a separate species? It seemed to me that the differences
were more likely to be environmental rather than genetic. A bit nearer to
Taltal, the plants are somewhat smaller and were given the n.n. C. albispina.
I wonder how much this is due to the bleaching effect of salty sea spray and
ozone, right along the coast. The yellow wool in the apex is a good 'Haseltoniana
factor'.
S149: Benjy Oliver providing the scale to show that Backeberg's C. gigantea
justifies its name.
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