Eriosyce islayensis

Description

Eriosyce islayensis is a species of plant in the genus Eriosyce of the cactus family (Cactaceae). The specific epithet islayensis refers to the occurrence of the species in the Peruvian province of Islay. Eriosyce islayensis grows individually with spherical to elongated shoots and reaches heights of 40 centimeters and more with diameters of 5 to 20 centimeters. The roots are fibrous. There are up to 25 ribs. The areoles on it are heavily woolly. The thorns are usually gray to blackish. The four to seven thick central spines are 1.2 to 1.6 inches long. The twelve to 22 radiating radial spines are 6 to 10 millimeters long. The wide, funnel-shaped, yellow flowers appear from young areoles. They are 2 to 4 centimeters long and have the same diameter. Your pericarpel and the flower tube are covered with dense wool and bristles. The club-shaped, balloon-like, highly elongated, somewhat pink-red fruits are up to 5 centimeters long and tear open with a basal pore. Eriosyce islayensis is distributed on dry slopes near the coast in the Peruvian regions of Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna and the Chilean region of Tarapacá. The first description as Echinocactus islayensis was in 1861 by Carl Friedrich Förster. Fred Kattermann placed them in the genus Eriosyce in 1994. Other nomenclatural synonyms are Malacocarpus islayensis (CFFörst.) Britton & Rose (1922), Islaya islayensis (CFFörst.) Backeb. (1934), Parodia islayensis (CFFörst.) Borg (1937) and Neoporteria islayensis (CFFörst.) Donald & GDRowley (1966). The following subspecies are distinguished: Eriosyce islayensis subsp. islayensis Eriosyce islayensis subsp. grandis (Rauh & Backeb.) GJCharles Eriosyce islayensis subsp. omasensis (Ostolaza & Mischler) GJCharles