Eulychnia castanea Phil. (Cactaceae): Geographical distribution and variation

4 Pages·1998·2.4 MB·English

by  Urs Eggli

ISSN
0016-5301
EULYCHNIA CASTANEA GEOGRAPHICAL
(CACTACEAE):
PHIL.
AND
DISTRIBUTION VARIATION
EULYCHNIA CASTANEA
(CACTACEAE): DISTRIBUCIÓN GEO-
PHIL.
GRÁFICA VARIACIÓN
Y
&
Urs Eggli Beat Ernst Leuenberger
1
n geográfica de ¡mia
£;</v<
,
Los
resultados
s
i.
un
-ida a área
li
Chile.
e
1
interpreted as being
(
smce
and
ger. a large \ peligro" a base de una población extendida y viable d
A
Fray Jorge National Park. ca tro del Parque Nacional Fray Jorge. Se mencic
gression from Eidxvhua acida so de posible introgresión de Eidyt hnia acida.
i*
KEYWORDS:
Eulychnia, conserv;
INTRODUCTION
nes produced from the areoles of the pericarpel,
and the spiny were compared with
fruits the
The
genus Eulychnia is a small genus of sh- fruits of the chestnut by Philippi (Lat. castaneus
=
rubby arborescent columnar and 4 of Although
to cacti, the chestnut). Philippi did not publish an
presumably
5 speeies are restricted to Chile (the illustration of E. castanea, and despite some pro-
exception being E. ritteri from southern Perú). blems associated with the type material, the iden-
The two
speeies Eulychnia acida and E. iqui- of the taxon does not present any problems,
tity
form
quensis a conspicuous element in the vege- catión was recently resolved (Leuen-
&
tation of the semi-arid and arid Norte Chico. The berger Eggli, 1998).
history and typification of Eulychnia taxa, as
some on Geographical
well as preliminary notes possible sy- Distribution: The type
locality
nonymies, have been the subject of a recent con- of Eulychnia castanea Los Molles
at (32°14'S,
is
&
(Leuenberger Región
tribution Eggli, 1998). de Valparaíso, Prov. Petorca), where the
was
Eulychnia castanea described by R. A. taxon can be observed today on
the coastal
still
Philippi in 1864, based on a collection by Land- rocks below the houses. The northern of
limit the
beck from the coast near Los Molles (then in range of this strictly coastal taxon given as 'Ta-
is
tovince, today in Petorca Province). linay" in the literature (Ritter. 1980; Hoffmann,
for the diagnostic pungent thin spi- 1989), and this taken to represent the región of
1 is
Quebrada
the Talinay and Cerro Talinay
(c.
30°5rS, Región de Coquimbo. Liman)
Prov.
(the
N
"Altos de Talinay" further cannot
q
E. castane.a ha.s a. coastal
strictly distribution).
CH-8002
quai 88, Zürich, Switzerland. •<-.-
Museum
Berlín
a study of the Cactaceae for the "Proyecto Flora
Dahlem. D-14191
Kónigin-Luise-Strasse 6-8, Berlín
now
de Chile" have considerably extended
the
Los
known geographical range for E. castanea to in moderately disturbed áreas, e.g. at Molles,
wards the North, just into Prov. Elqui. Togethei Pichidangui. in the Quebrada del Teniente, and al-
we growing hedges Huentelauquen. Moreo-
have so
w several additional collections, esta in at
ith
MMied more ver, a very vigorous population consisting of a
or
a
number of indidivuals located within Fray
large
is
South and near Puerto Aldea on the Len- Jorge National Park. and E. castanea therefore en-
in the
W
gua de Vaca península of the Bahia Tongoy
(30°18.5rS)in the North (Map status as "out of danger" seems to be a sound inter-
1).
Whether represents the true geographi- pretaron, and survival does not seem to be im-
this its
cal rango oí the taxon remanís open to debate, mediately threatened as a whole. Populations in
Id
however,
scarches n the southern part of the natural range are,
v c v tii
Our own observations indícate under some pressure as outlined above, and
nal localities. thai it
would good landowners and
vastanea does neither oceur to the north of the be a idea to suggest to
E.
N
known La
range Punta Teatinos of Serena. populations as a
at
1
propágate
)
A
A1I our observations as well as remarks on the plant at appropriate sites, e.g. in hedgerows.
the labels of the few available herbarium speci- study of the biology of this species by a local bio-
mens indícate that E. castanea is a strictly coa-tal logist would seem very promising for a more de-
taxon, occupying but a narrow fringe along the
coast. Its ecological amplitude appears to be consi-
and Hybridization involving Eulychnia castanea:
derable, ed plants can
apj
be observed on coastal rocks. among coastal peb- At the N-most limit, R. Kraus (pers. comm.) obser-
bles (e.g. near Pichidangui) or in coastal semi-sta- ved typical Eulychnia castanea as well as plants
N
dune
bilized sands (e.g. just of Puente El which appear intermedíate between E. castanea and
Teniente). In only one place (near Huentelauquen) one of the larger growing species of the genus. jud-
we
could observe E. castanea planted as compo- ging from the woolly-bristly indumentum of the pe-
nent of a "li\ ing de up by one ricarpel and the larger stature of the plants (R.
of the numerous fornis hinnpsis chiloensis. Kraus photos nos. 1988 and 1989, ZSS). Similar
/:"<
plants were also collected back in 1947 by B. Spa-
Conservation:
Since the coast strip northwards rre (Sparre 1974). While E. castanea cannot be dis-
from Papudo and Zapallar is of easy access from tinguished \egetatively from either E. acula or E.
s
-....
... "•. hreviflora (the only other species of the gen us !ikel>
'. .;>
'
. ; .
be
to present in the área), the pericarpel spinatíon
is
atea- between the Panamencan Highway and the denser and more bristly instead of pungent, as
coas! are alit ¡Jed into lots would be typical for E. castanea (Figs.
2).
1,
According our observations, the range of
to
sufters from gra/ing impact and
there are also scat- E. hreviflora does not extend significantly to the
\soiEuca ptus and or Pinas. As a south of Coquimbo, while E. acida was found
consequence, the already narrow distribution of with a few individuáis growing in the
i
Eulxclinia castanea appears to be under severe
pression from these developments. ¡u con-er\ation Fray Jorge National Park mear 30° 37.94' S 71°
/
we
status needs to be assessed. although Benoit 1989) 42 .45* W). In the absence of better evidence,
(
classified as out oí danger without
interpret the oceurrence of the densely bristly flo-
it .
Hoffmann
comment
details. 1989) does not on wers castanea mtmgression from
the in E. as E. aci-
(
of whose
is this species. da, flowers are characterised a short
by,
number
le the of populations of
cas-
E.
unknown. map
nains
the distribution im-
lore or less continuous oceurrence along Material Examíned: CHILE: IV Región: Prov.
Despite the threats posed by the increa- Elqui: 2 km E of Puerto Aldea. 20 50 m, 31-X-
. -
EGGLI & LEUENBERGER
1997. 3083
(B,
CONC.
SGO.
ZSS): Liman: Parque Nacional
Prov.
Fray Jorge, coastal plain. 20-100 m. -XI- 1997,
1
I.m
..v
-<¿:E(;<;i.i.l lí.E.
,f</„
l
&
LEUENBERGER
EGGLI 3086d ZSS: pho-
(B.
boca Río Liman. 1-X-
tos only); Fray Jorge, del
1
N
SPARRE
2974 (SGO); of the
1947, tirst hill
mouth of Quebrada San Pedro. 80 140 m. 18-
the -
& LEUENBERGER
EGGLI
2945
X-1997. (B.
CONC. SGO. ZSS): Prov. Choapa: Caleta Oscuro (oí- ie¡d w rk in Chile l.i-
W
km o Research
Oscuro (Panamericana 20 KM) the
of Puerto
3 -
i.
& LEUENBERGER
EGGLI 3088 Committec oí Caetu an Sueei ent Socfet) oi
the
m. 2-XI-1997.
1
km
CONC. SGO, ZSS); Fundo Corral de
Julio,
(B,
ZSS
315 de -2 km desde mar, 6-XI- nection with the abane ect B tnd h ive
la Carretera. el
1
km pnnided and we
1976. Muñoz 921 (SGO); 7.3 on Panamericana kindh viippon u id intrasti ucture.
SGO
md
N of tumoff from Panamericana to Los Vilos, on are t'urther «rateful to he curator s at
& CONC
EGGLI
top of coastal rocks, 40 m, 10-XI-1991, to allow us Iree ac totheircollections
LEUENBERGER
SGO.
1669 ZSS): Los Vüos,
(B,
REFERENCES
(SGO.
24\
Ritter loe.
s.a., i
1
.17-
& LEUENBERGER
EGGLI
2933
X-1997.
(CONC, SGO.
ZSS): Pichidangui. Ritter
B, s.a..
V
1-1.5 HoHMWV
241 (SGO); Región: Prov. Petorca: c.
loe. siheMiv
A. E. l>S4. Cactácea^ en la llora
l
-
N
km
S of Los Mofles, side of Puente El Chivato. de Chile. Santiago. pp.(Cactaceae).
: :.
i
& LEUENBERGER
20 m, 10-XI-1991, EGGLI JACQUEZ. G. M. 1995. Geodut. a ¿eoguphic datábase.
Ann Amor BioMcduaiv
Versión MI):
2.0. S:
16561 (B, SGO. ZSS); Los Molles, coastal rocks i l
&
LEUENBERGER. EGGLI. U. 1998. The genus
B. E.
&
EGGLI
below houses. 10 80 m. 17-X-1997.
-
Notes on
Eiilxchiiia iCai-taccLie) in Chile: the ta-
LEUENBERGER
2932a ZSS: photos only).
(B.
Hasel-
.
ACKNOWl.í
;
Lamben
A/.imuthal
a
I
^Pr
Fecha de publicación: 07 de mayo de 1999