Austrocylindropuntia pachypus

Growth form, spines and flowers

Main stems reach about 1 m in height and 3–5 cm in diameter. Branches are few at the base and may form a candelabra arrangement higher up. A round, densely felted areole lies on the upper edge of a diamond-shaped tubercle. The 2024 description reports 10–30 shorter spines 3–6 mm long and 1–3 longer ones reaching 10–30 mm. Young spines are yellowish-brown, and older ones turn grey. [Taquiri-Yanqui et al. 2024]

Awl-shaped leaves appear at the apices of vegetative and flowering shoots. Scarlet or burgundy flowers reach about 7 cm in length. Globose to ovoid fruits turn yellow as they ripen and contain a few pale seeds. In herbarium material, flowering was most frequent from March to May, while fruiting continued into August. [Taquiri-Yanqui et al. 2024]

Range and habitat

A compilation of 42 records covers the departments of La Libertad, Áncash, Lima and Ica. New sites in the Cansas and Characas quebradas extended the known range 263 km southeast of the nearest earlier record in the Rímac valley. Plants in Ica grew at 1800–1900 m elevation in dry scrub on alluvial stony slopes with periodic water runoff. [Taquiri-Yanqui et al. 2024]

The entire documented elevation range in the account is 400–2400 m. A Maxent model also indicated further areas with suitable climatic characteristics. Such predictions identify places for potential searches. Confirmed sites in the profile rely on field records and collections. [Taquiri-Yanqui et al. 2024]

Recruitment and observations in cultivation

The authors described rooting of fallen fruits and the formation of new vegetative individuals from them. Under nursery conditions, they recorded flowering from November to January with full light exposure and a very free-draining substrate. These are observations under Peruvian conditions, with a different seasonal pattern from Poland. [Taquiri-Yanqui et al. 2024]

Threats

Population fragmentation is associated with urban expansion, agriculture, infrastructure and areas subject to mining rights. The authors of the 2024 paper proposed the category Endangered (EN), basing their assessment on distribution and habitat pressure. The profile presents this as the assessment published in that paper, distinguished from a formal entry on the global Red List. [Taquiri-Yanqui et al. 2024]