Name and circumscription of the plants described
The accepted name is Corryocactus brevistylus (formerly Cereus brevistylus). POWO also includes C. puquiensis, C. brevistylus subsp. puquiensis, C. pachycladus, C. brevispinus and C. krausii here. Older accounts separated some of these plants, so the description of a research sample retains its original identification and place of origin. [2-WWW]
The C. brevistylus seed batch in the 2024 study was identified as the nominate subspecies (called C. brevistylus subsp. brevistylus in the publication). The 2015 anatomical study concerned plants from near Arequipa, and the 2018 rooting experiment used material from northern Chile. Each result describes a different sample and conditions. [Jara-Peña et al. 2024] [Mauseth et al. 2015] [Trevizan Rispoli and Baltierra Chipana 2018]
Columns, ribs and long spines
Ostolaza describes typical plants as columns branched from the base, with a light green surface, large round areoles and unequal spines. In the description of the nominate subspecies, he gives a height of 2–3 m, usually 6–7 prominent ribs and spines 3–24 cm long. The broader current treatment also includes taller material formerly called puquiensis. [Ostolaza Nano 2014, p. 446, 448] [2-WWW]
The stem is an organ for photosynthesis and water storage. In preparations from the parasitism study, the primary cortex was around 57 mm thick from the central cylinder to the hypodermis. The hypodermis, the layer directly below the epidermis, comprised 6–8 layers of living, thick-walled cells. Such extensive parenchyma maintains its own network of vascular bundles, distant from the central xylem and phloem. [Mauseth et al. 2015, pp. 4–5]
Flowers, fruits and identification features
The golden-yellow flowers have a widely spreading perianth and a constriction above the ovary. Their outer part bears scales, hairs and short spines. The ripening fruit is spherical and succulent, and the seeds have a mucilaginous covering. The species name refers to the short style. [Ostolaza Nano 2014, p. 446]
Compared with C. volcanicus, the flowers of C. brevistylus are larger and golden yellow, and its fruit spines are rigid. In the new species from Andagua, the perianth is very pale yellow, almost white, and the fruit is surrounded by thin, soft, flexible spines. These features involve reproductive organs and are more important in diagnosis than stem-spine length alone. [Pauca-Tanco and Hoxey 2025, diagnoza, dyskusja]
Habitat on the western Andean slopes
The natural range includes southern Peru and northern Chile. The 2017 Arequipa catalogue indicates dry valleys, scrub and rocky slopes at elevations of 2000–3500 m above sea level. Field and herbarium data concern regions including Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna. That work described the former puquiensis separately, while current POWO includes it in one species. [2-WWW] [Pauca Tanco and Quipuscoa Silvestre 2017, p. 455]
Succulents from such environments experience pronounced changes in water availability. The stem's outer parenchyma remains alive for years. Cortical bundles allow tissue far from the central cylinder to be supplied. The same anatomy creates an access route for Ligaria cuneifolia, which can use shallower bundles without reaching the central vascular cylinder. [Mauseth et al. 2015, p. 4–5, 12]
Germination in light
In Jara-Peña and colleagues' study, seeds from Arequipa germinated on 1% agar for 30 days at temperatures of 18–25°C. In the illuminated treatment, the photoperiod was 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. Each treatment included five dishes of 25 seeds. A radicle 2 mm long was considered evidence of germination. [Jara-Peña et al. 2024, pp. 6]
In light, 84.8% of seeds germinated, compared with 0% in the dark treatment. This is positive photoblastism under the test conditions. The result supports maintaining light access when sowing this batch. Sowing on agar in a chamber was an experiment on germination, without assessment of subsequent seedling survival at a natural site or in a pot. [Jara-Peña et al. 2024, table 2, p. 8]
Comparison of cuttings and stem fragments
Trevizan Rispoli and Baltierra Chipana conducted a trial in Chapiquiña, Chile, in 2011–2012. They compared three treatments. The first retained the stem as a cutting, the second produced a transversely cut cylinder, and the third additionally split the cylinder lengthwise into four parts. Each treatment used three replicates of ten fragments. Wounds were allowed to dry, then cuttings and cylinders were placed in sand, while split fragments went directly into a mixed substrate. [Trevizan Rispoli and Baltierra Chipana 2018, p. 113–116]
Most plants survived in the treatment retaining the stem as a cutting. Split fragments lost more mass during drying. The authors linked this difference to greater tissue exposure after the stem surface was breached. The planting procedure also differed between treatments, so the trial compares entire procedures. Long-term growth after rooting was not adequately assessed. [Trevizan Rispoli and Baltierra Chipana 2018, p. 109, 115–116]
| Material | Survival (%) | Odchylenie standardowe (pkt proc.) |
|---|---|---|
| Stem cutting | 76,7 | 15,3 |
| Poprzeczny fragment walcowy | 26,7 | 15,28 |
| Cylindrical fragment split lengthwise | 0 | — |
A parasite inside the stem
Leafy shoots of Ligaria cuneifolia emerge from the cactus surface. A compact internal part of the parasite, called the endophyte, remains in its primary cortex. The study demonstrated restructuring of the hypodermis into cork-producing tissue, formation of new vascular bundles and strong growth of some existing connections. At the same time, some host cells collapsed, and wood at the contact boundary contained many thick-walled cells and few vessels. [Mauseth et al. 2015, pp. 10–12]
Details of both responses are described in the article on the anatomy of parasitism. The results distinguish local development of parasite tissue from the cactus response, which also occurs farther away. Histology documents the direction of tissue restructuring. The chemical signals causing these changes remain unexplained in this study. [Mauseth et al. 2015, p. 11–13]
Cultivation in archival material
T. Romulski's review, preserved in Konrad Szychowski's private archive, emphasises abundant light, a free-draining mineral substrate, sparing watering after drying, and fresh, dry air. This is a record of cultivation practice. The species' high-altitude origin alone does not determine its winter hardiness outdoors in Poland. The older Corryocactus brevistylus account retains this information with a link to the scan. [Sukulenty b.d.a, p. pliku 4–6]
Owoc jako surowiec badawczy
Fruit peels were studied as a phosphate adsorbent and a material assisting coagulation in model water. The material, conditions and scope of these experiments are presented in “Sanky peel. Phosphate binding and suspension coagulation” in the “Biotechnology and applications” section. [Contreras-López et al. 2021] [Herrera-Linares et al. 2026]
Related articles
Materials from the author's archive
The species also appears in Konrad Szychowski's private material archive. [Kreuzinger 1935, file p. 21] [Kaktusy i Inne 2004, file p. 10, 45] [Romulski b.d., file p. 5] [Kaktusy i Inne 2005c, file p. 34]
Synonyms and names in the literature
Cereus brevistylus · Corryocactus brevispinus · Corryocactus brevistylus subsp. brevistylus · Corryocactus brevistylus subsp. puquiensis · Corryocactus brevistylus var. puquiensis · Corryocactus krausii · Corryocactus pachycladus · Corryocactus puquiensis [2-WWW]