''Matucana'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

cacti 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 Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Cactaceae), containing approximately 20

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of mostly globular plants. The genus is known only from

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, mostly along the

Marañón River The Marañón River (, , ) is the principal or mainstem source of the Amazon River, arising about 160 km (100 miles) to the northeast of Lima, Peru, and flowing northwest across plateaus 3,650 m (12,000 feet) high, it runs through a deeply ero ...

. Some species are endangered due to collection for the specialist market.

Description

Plants within this genus may be identified by the distinctive structure of their fruits, which are marked by vertical splits that release their seeds upon maturity. The overall body shape, spination, offset production, and preferred habitat exhibit considerable variability, mirroring the diverse nature of the flowers within the genus. Species of ''Matucana'' have low, globose or shortly cylindrical bodies, either solitary or clustering. The flowers are subapical, usually more or less

zygomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spir ...

, diurnal, of various colours, but usually red, yellow or pink. However, a few species, notably ''M. oreodoxa'', have

actinomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...

flowers and were placed in a separate genus - ''Eomatucana'' - by F. Ritter. They are reported to flower at a young age.

Taxonomy

The first species was discovered near the town of Matucana and described as ''Echinocactus haynii'' by

Christoph Friedrich Otto Christoph Friedrich Otto (4 December 1783 – 7 December 1856) was a German gardener and botanist. He was born in Schneeberg, Saxony. From 1805 to 1843 he was inspector of the Botanical Garden in Berlin. Together with Albert Gottfried Dietric ...

in 1849. The genus ''Matucana'' was erected by

Nathaniel Lord Britton Nathaniel Lord Britton (1859 – 1934) was an American botanist and taxonomist who co-founded the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York (state), New York. Early life Britton was born on the 15 of January 1859 at New Dorp, Staten Island ...

and

Joseph Nelson Rose Joseph Nelson Rose (January 11, 1862 – May 4, 1928) was an American botanist. He was born in Union County, Indiana. His father died serving during the Civil War when Joseph Rose was a young boy. He later graduated from high school in Liberty, ...

in 1922 to differentiate it from the diverse ''

Echinocactus ''Echinocactus'' is a genus of cacti in the subfamily Cactoideae. The generic name derives from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient w ...

'' genus.

Species

, the following species were accepted:

Cultivation

All members of the genus cannot tolerate too much moisture so that it is recommended that they be watered only during their growing season and when the

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

is dry. They risk losing their roots if they are not kept warm through the winter. Members of ''Matucana'' grow quickly and may be grown from seed.

References

* Bregman, Rob: ''The Genus Matucana. Biology and systematics of fascinating Peruvian cacti''. A.A.Balkema 1996. * Ritter, Friedrich: ''Kakteen in Südamerika'', Band 4, s. 1486–87. Friedrich Ritter Selbstverlag 1981. {{Authority control * Cacti of South America Endemic flora of Peru Cereeae genera