''Copiapoa hypogaea'', the underground copiapoa, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''

Copiapoa ''Copiapoa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, from the dry coastal deserts, particularly the Atacama Desert, of northern Chile. Description ''Copiapoa'' comprises 32 morphologically defined species and five hetero ...

'' in the

cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

family (

Cactaceae A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

), native to northern Chile. It has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

Description

''Copiapoa hypogaea'' usually grows solitary, occasionally in small groups, rarely protruding above the ground surface, sometimes even completely sunken, with bulbous roots. The individual shoots are depressed spherical. They are grey-brown to greenish in color and 3 to 6.5 centimeters in diameter. The epidermis is conspicuously wrinkled. The 10 to 14 ribs are slightly twisted, notched broadly flat with chin-like projections. The

areoles In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cacti out of which grow clusters of spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cacti, and identify them as a family distinct from other succulent plants. Gordon Rowley - Wh ...

are sunken and lined with white wool. Thorns are mostly absent; sometimes there are from 1 to 6 tiny ones of a blackish color. The yellow flowers appear at the tip of the shoot and are wide open.

Subspecies

The following subspecies is currently accepted: *''Copiapoa hypogaea'' subsp. ''cobrensis'' Doweld

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1131172 Cactoideae Endemic flora of Chile Plants described in 1960