Cleistocactus

Cleistocactus
	Borzicactus websteramus, syn. Cleistocactus webstramus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Tribe:	Trichocereeae
Genus:	Cleistocactus; Lem.
Species
	49 species, including: Cleistocactus baumannii; Cleistocactus candelilla; Cleistocactus dependens; Cleistocactus fieldianus; Cleistocactus hildegardiae; Cleistocactus hyalacanthus; Cleistocactus icosagonus; Cleistocactus morawetzianus; Cleistocactus parapetiensis; Cleistocactus reae; Cleistocactus samaipatanus; Cleistocactus sepium; Cleistocactus serpens; Cleistocactus sextonianus; Cleistocactus smaragdiflorus; Cleistocactus strausii; Cleistocactus tarijensis; Cleistocactus tominensis; Cleistocactus winteri;

Cleistocactus is a genus of columnar cacti native to mountainous areas - to 3,000 m (9,843 ft)^[1] - of Peru, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina. The name comes from the Greek kleistos meaning closed because the flowers hardly open.

The stems are tall and mostly slender and often many-branched with numerous ribs with closely set areoles and spines. The flowers are tubular and the tips hardly open with only the style and stamens usually protruding.

Synonymy

The following genera have been brought into synonymy with this genus:

Akersia Buining
Bolivicereus Cárdenas
Borzicactella H.Johnson ex F.Ritter
Borzicactus Riccob
Borzicereus Fric & Kreuz. (orth. var.)
Cephalocleistocactus F.Ritter
Cleistocereus Fric & Kreuz. (orth. var.)
Clistanthocereus Backeb.
Demnosa Fric
Gymnanthocereus Backeb.
Hildewintera F.Ritter
Loxanthocereus Backeb.
Maritimocereus Akers
Pseudoechinocereus Buining (nom. inval.)
Seticereus Backeb.
Seticleistocactus Backeb.
Winteria F.Ritter
Winterocereus Backeb.

Cleistocactus strausii
Cleistocactus micropetalus F. Ritter, photo taken at Bedugul Botanical Garden, Bali, Indonesia

References

^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.

Innes C, Wall B (1995). Cacti, Succulents and Bromaliads. Cassell & The Royal Horticultural Society.
The species list is referenced from http://www.cactiguide.com/ which is in turn referenced from several books which are listed on that site. The principal book listed here is The Cactus Family by Edward F. Anderson.

External links

[1] RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.

[1]