Eriosyce grandiflora

History of identification

Plants from Farellones were long studied as Eriosyce curvispina. The authors of the 2024 revision compared them with material originally named Pyrrhocactus grandiflorus from Cerro Ramón. Morphological and geographical agreement supported application of E. grandiflora, which POWO currently accepts [Walter et al. 2024] [2-WWW].

Stem and large flowers

The solitary grey-green stem measures about 10–18 cm in diameter and has 21–24 ribs. Strong spines are black to brown. Radial spines are usually 1.5–3 cm long, while central spines measure 2–4 cm and point upwards. These features are interpreted together with flower structure [Walter et al. 2024].

The revision describes flowers 6–7 cm long. Red tepals carry a darker central stripe. Comparative features also include small seeds, about 1 × 0.8 mm. The large flower is a useful diagnostic element when combined with stem characters and provenance [Walter et al. 2024].

Montane range and conservation

The species occurs east of Santiago, extending towards the upper Aconcagua basin at around 2000 m elevation. Road construction, mining and grazing alter its habitat. The 2024 revision proposes Endangered, EN, with an extent of occurrence below 5000 km² and few locations [Walter et al. 2024].

Hidden diversity in Eriosyce. DNA, geography and pollinators in species recognition

Materials from the author's archive

The species also appears in Konrad Szychowski's private material archive [Kaktusy i Inne 2004].

Synonyms and names in the literature

Pyrrhocactus grandiflorus · Horridocactus grandiflorus · Neoporteria curvispina var. grandiflora [2-WWW]

Related plant cards

Eriosyce curvispinaEriosyce andicolaEriosyce

Created 21 October 2026

Last modified 21 October 2026

Sources for this account

[2-WWW]Source website

Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

https://powo.science.kew.org/

Accepted names, synonyms and distribution. A citation beside a taxon leads to its record.

Accessed 2026-10-08.

Article2024

Taxonomic dissection based on molecular evidence of the Eriosyce curvispina complex (Cactaceae): identifying nine endemic species from Central Chile

Walter H. E., Cádiz-Véliz A., Meriño B. M., Villalobos-Barrantes H. M., Guerrero P. C., Taxonomic dissection based on molecular evidence of the Eriosyce curvispina complex (Cactaceae): identifying nine endemic species from Central Chile, PhytoKeys, 2024, 237:117-139, doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.237.107403

A revision of the Eriosyce curvispina complex recognizes nine species using molecular evidence, morphology, distribution and historical nomenclature. It provides an identification key, diagnostic descriptions, habitat information and proposed threat categories. Material from the vicinity of the original locality helps establish a narrower application of E. curvispina.

Physiology and anatomyGenusEriosyce

DOI ↗Article or source page ↗

Zeszyt czasopisma2004

Kaktusy i Inne — zeszyt 2

[Autor nieustalony, Kaktusy i Inne — zeszyt 2, Kaktusy i Inne, 2004, nr 2]

A 2004 issue preserved in Konrad Szychowski's private archive. Supplied excerpts include material on Copiapoa, Neoraimondia, Neowerdermannia and Samaipaticereus.

GenusCopiapoaNeoraimondiaNeowerdermanniaSamaipaticereus

Bibliographic details and access scope

Data according to the source used. Author unknown.

Copy in the supplied material