Eulychnia castanea
Phil.
Cactaceae
Cereus castaneus (Phil.) K.Schum.
Philippicereus castaneus (Phil.) Backeb.
Common Name: Copao de Philippi
General Information
Eulychnia castanea is a spiny, evergreen, succulent, shrubby cactus with decumbent, cylindrical stems 100 - 200cm long and 6 - 8cm in diameter. It can grow up to 100cm tall, forming dense clumps up to 20 metres wide[
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental[
330- Title
- ChileFlora
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.chileflora.com/index.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Not realy a flora, but a lovely site with lots of helpful information for the gardener and an abundance of excellent photos covering over 2,000 species of Chilean plants.
].
Eulychnia castanea has a restricted range. However, it is abundant, threats are localized, and it occurs within protected areas. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
Range
S. America - northern Chile
Habitat
Thorny scrub on rocky soils; at elevations up to 50 metres[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Properties
| Conservation Status | Least Concern |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Shrub |
| Height | 1.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Eulychnia castanea is a plant of low elevations in the dry tropics of coastal Chile; it is intolerant of frost[
330- Title
- ChileFlora
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.chileflora.com/index.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Not realy a flora, but a lovely site with lots of helpful information for the gardener and an abundance of excellent photos covering over 2,000 species of Chilean plants.
]. The climate is dry, with a mean annual rainfall of around 100 - 300mm that is concentrated in the winter months. There is an annual drought of 6 - 10 months[
330- Title
- ChileFlora
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.chileflora.com/index.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Not realy a flora, but a lovely site with lots of helpful information for the gardener and an abundance of excellent photos covering over 2,000 species of Chilean plants.
].
Edible Uses
Fruit - raw[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
]. The yellow, globose fruits are covered with spines[
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
