Leucostele bolligeriana


Leucostele bolligeriana is a species of cactus found in Chile.

Distribution

This plant is native to the hills of the Coastal Cordillera in Cardenal Caro, growing in proximity to the sea and on steep slopes.

Taxonomy

Initially collected in Punta de Lobos in 2003 by Helmut Walter and classified as Echinopsis bolligeriana, the species was named in honor of Dr. Thomas Bolliger, a cactus curator in Zurich. In 2012, Albesiano identified Trichocereus chiloensis var. conjungens as a synonym, based on similarities in rib and spine morphology. In 2012, Boris O. Schlumpberger reclassified the species into the genus Leucostele.