''Matucana intertexta'' is a species of

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, ...

in the genus '' Matucana'', native to Peru. 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 ...

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Description

''Matucana intertexta'' usually grows solitary with globular to broadly cylindrical, green shoots and reaches heights of growth of up to with a diameter of . There are 14 - 25 blunt, flattened tubercles ribs present. The white, straight or slightly curved, protruding to slightly splaying spines darken with age. There are initially up to 20 spines, two to five central spines with a length of and ten to 25 radial spines with a length of . The lopsided, light orange to vermilion and scarlet flowers are long and have a diameter of . Their bracts are edged with purple. The spherical, green fruits reach a diameter of .

Subspecies

The following subspecies are currently accepted: *''Matucana intertexta'' subsp. ''intertexta'' *''Matucana intertexta'' subsp. ''jankei'' Cieza & Pino

Distribution

''Matucana intertexta'' is distributed in the Peruvian region of

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Per ...

at altitudes of 1500 to 2300 meters.

Taxonomy

The first description was in 1963 by Friedrich Ritter. Nomenclature synonyms are ''Submatucana intertexta'' (F.Ritter) Backeb. (1963) and ''Borzicactus intertextus'' (F.Ritter) Donald (1971).

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q310156 intertexta Endemic flora of Peru Plants described in 1963