July 2010 Espostoopsis dybowskii

A more in depth look at individual cactus species, a new one is added each month -managed by Hob
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hob
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July 2010 Espostoopsis dybowskii

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Espostoopsis dybowskii (Roland-Gosselin) Buxbaum

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Growth Habits: Grows to 13 feet [4m] tall, branching at the base with stems up to 4 inches (10cm) diameter.

Scientific name: Espostoopsis dybowskii.

Common names: None.

Synonym: Cereus dybowskii, Cephalocereus dybowskii, Austrocephalocereus dybowskii, Gerocephalus dybowskii, Coleocephalocereus dybowskii

Etymology: Espostoa and the greek opsis meaning like. Hence "Espostoa-like"
dybowskii: in honour of M. Dybowski, inspector general of agriculture.

Origin: Porto Alegre e 6-7km towards Jequié, Bahia, Brazil

Light: Full sun.

Compost: A free draining standard cactus mix.

Water: Regular water in spring to autumn allowing soil to dry between waterings.

Flower: White, bell-shaped flowers form out of a lateral cephalium.

Min temp: Best kept frost free.

Cultivation: Seldom reaches maturity in pots and is grown more as a novelty for its hairy appearance.

References. http://www.cactiguide.com
http://ralph.cs.cf.ac.uk

Comments. Although similar looking to Espostoa they are not thought to be related as they come from a different part of south america.
Espostoopsis is a monotypic genus meaning species dybowskii is the only species in the genus.
Stems branch only from the base and start growing a cephalium when about 1.5–2.0 meters tall.

seedling plants
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flowering plant Photographer: Joel Lode
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