Oreocereus
Oreocereus is a genus of cacti (family Cactaceae), known only from high altitudes of the Andes. Its name means "mountain cereus", formed from the Greek prefix oreo- (ὀρεο-, mountain)[1] and the New Latin cereus, meaning wax or torch.
| Oreocereus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A small Oreocereus celsianus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Tribe: | Trichocereeae |
| Genus: | Oreocereus (A.Berger) Riccob. |
| Species | |
|
Oreocereus celsianus - old man of the Andes | |
As they are covered with woolly white fuzz (modified spines), a few species in this genus are sometimes known as the old-man cactus,[2][3] a generic name that also refers to Cephalocereus senilis or Espostoa lanata. More rarely, the old man of the mountain is also used for some species.[nb 1]
Synonymy
The following genera have been included in this genus:
References
- “[...] hairy cacti in cultivation include: golden old man (C. chrysacanthus), old woman (Mammillaria hahniana), Chilean old lady (Neoporteria senilis), and old man of the mountain (Borzicactus trollii).”[4] [emphasis added, B. trollii being an old name for O. trollii].[5]
- "oreography". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- University of Vermont, Indoor Plants
- Barry Walker; Huw Lloyd (2007). Peruvian Wildlife: A Visitor's Guide to the Central Andes. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-84162-167-8.
- Encyclopædia Britannica (1991), entry ‘old-man cactus’.
- D. J. Mabberley (2008-05-01). Mabberley's Plant-book: A Portable Dictionary of Plants, Their Classifications, and Uses. Cambridge University Press. p. 608. ISBN 978-0-521-82071-4.