Genus scope and historical names
In the POWO treatment adopted here, the genus comprises four species, Airampoa ayrampo, A. corrugata, A. erectoclada and A. tilcarensis. Tunilla is treated as a genus synonym. The number of names encountered in literature and on labels greatly exceeds the number of currently accepted species. The database was checked on 8 October 2026. [2-WWW]
Frič published the name Airampoa in 1929. In 2025, Kiesling, Las Peñas and Oakley confirmed its validity and recognised Tunilla as a later synonym. Their A. aurata is a more narrowly defined taxon than current A. corrugata in POWO. Data on it require this scope to be retained. [Kiesling et al. 2025] [2-WWW]
Physiological and application papers most often use the names Opuntia soehrensii, Tunilla soehrensii or Airampoa soehrensii. In the atlas, these lead to A. ayrampo. Guiggi's 2007 publication concerns A. picardoi, now assigned to A. erectoclada. Article year, material name and specimen origin remain important even after the profile name changes. [2-WWW] [Guiggi 2007]
Stems, areoles and identification
Small segments form spreading clumps close to the ground. In northern Chilean A. ayrampo material, plants were described as 10–20 cm tall and 30–60 cm in diameter, with segments 4–8 cm long. These are dimensions of the plant group described. [Prat et al. 2025]
Areoles produce spines and small, detachable, barbed glochids. The 2025 paper described a papillose epidermis and a bulbous, sunken glochid base. Adventitious roots formed on many segments of laterally branching plants, and mainly on basal segments of apically branching plants. [Kiesling et al. 2025]
Pollen studies provide traits invisible during ordinary plant inspection. In material described as Tunilla corrugata and Opuntia soehrensii, pollen was pantoporate, with a compact, perforated outer exine layer bearing small spines. Exine is the resistant wall surrounding a pollen grain. Its ornamentation differs from the strongly reticulate surface typical of many Opuntia, but does not independently provide a reliable key to all ayrampo species. [Garralla and Cuadrado 2007] [Miesen et al. 2015]
Flowers, fruits and pigments
Variation in flower colour is one reason for treating collection labels cautiously. Mottram described material from Quebrada del Toro with red, yellow and orange flowers and varied spine length and colour. Selection of extreme forms for cultivation encouraged proliferation of names despite intermediate forms occurring in the field. [Mottram 2004]
The reddish violet colour of ayrampo fruits is associated with betalains. Red betacyanins and yellow betaxanthins can be measured separately and their sum reported as betalain content. The result depends, however, on the fruit part sampled, hydration, extraction method and conversion to fresh or dry mass. The 2026 publication concerns flesh together with seeds after drying, while other studies analyse extracts from dried seeds purchased at a market. [Dadther-Huaman et al. 2026] [Caldas-Cueva et al. 2016]
Use of the pigment in food has a separate evidence scope from antioxidant studies. Colour stability can be studied in a specific product and temperature. A chemical radical-scavenging test describes a reaction in the measurement system. None of these results alone demonstrates health benefits after consumption or medicinal activity of the plant. [Prat et al. 2025] [Caldas-Cueva et al. 2016]
Cultivation and propagation in Poland
A bright, airy, sheltered site is a good starting point. Insufficient light changes habit and makes plant comparison difficult. For the A. tilcarensis form described in collection practice, abundant light, air movement and daily temperature fluctuations were recommended. An account of a dry specimen surviving brief frost cannot be equated with confirmed winter hardiness of all species in a Polish rock garden. [Grätz 2009]
In a pot, use a freely draining substrate containing aggregate, with unobstructed drainage. During active growth, water after checking substrate drying and remove excess water from the saucer. In winter, reduce watering according to temperature and growth. These are general cactus cultivation principles rather than an experimentally established schedule for the whole genus. [1-WWW]
Sowing of A. ayrampo has its own experimental documentation. In the Peruvian study, seeds described as Tunilla soehrensii were scarified before sowing, mechanically abrading their coat. Light increased germination of this prepared batch. Procedure details and results appear in the species profile. Applying these results to unscarified seeds of another species requires a separate trial. [Jara-Peña et al. 2024]
Synonyms and names in the literature
Tunilla [2-WWW]