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Home → Cacti → Oreocereus → Oreocereus sp.
Plant ID
GD-CAC-015-0052
Common Name(s)
- Cordillera Frost
- Woolly Columnar Cactus
- Old Man of the Mountain
Scientific Name
Oreocereus sp.
Identification: Provisional — species not yet determined.
Plant Photograph
Figure 1. Oreocereus sp. — Specimen B
Photo Caption:
A cultivated, clustering Oreocereus specimen displaying slender green to bluish-green columnar stems, prominent woolly areoles, and numerous reddish-brown spines. The stems form an upright cluster with a distinctive frosted appearance.
Photography:
Green Desert Botanical Garden
Plant Description
A clustering columnar cactus composed of several upright to ascending stems. The stems are green to bluish-green and bear regularly spaced woolly areoles with numerous fine hairs and conspicuous reddish-brown spines.
The combination of the woolly areoles, slender columnar stems, dense spination, and clumping habit is characteristic of Oreocereus. The specimen is recorded conservatively as Oreocereus sp., as the available photograph does not provide sufficient diagnostic features to establish the species with confidence.
The common name Cordillera Frost is retained as the collection/common name associated with this specimen and should not be treated as its scientific name.
Life’s Whispers
Wrapped in a mantle of wool and guarded by spines, I carry the quiet memory of mountain landscapes. I grow slowly toward the light, proving that even in harsh places, life can create its own kind of beauty.
References
For the complete list of botanical references, scientific literature, taxonomic information, and sources used by the Green Desert Botanical Library, please see the References page accessible from the Main Menu.
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