Oreocereus doelzianus

Oreocereus doelzianus is a species of cacti native to Peru.

Description

Oreocereus doelzianus grows as a shrub with richly branched, cylindrical, olive-green shoots from the base and reaches heights of growth of up to 1 meter with a diameter of. There are 10 to 11 ribs that are somewhat contracted between the gray felted areoles. The spines are yellow to dark brown. The four crossed central spines are strong and up to long. The 10 to 20 radial spines are up to long. The terminal cephalium consists of long, white, wavy hairs and whitish-yellow bristles up to long.
The carmine-red flowers have a bluish tinge and appear from the cephalium. They are up to long and have a diameter of.

Subspecies

Recognized Subspecies:

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
	Oreocereus doelzianus subsp. calvus	Rio Mantaro Valley, Peru
	Oreocereus doelzianus subsp. doelzianus	Ayacucho and Huancavelica, central Peru
	Oreocereus doelzianus subsp. sericatus	Ayacucho, central Peru

Distribution

Oreocereus doelzianus is distributed in the Peruvian regions of Huancavelica and Ayacucho at altitudes of 2500 to 3000 meters.

Taxonomy

The first description as Morawetzia doelziana was in 1936 by Curt Backeberg. The specific epithet doelzianus honors the German lawyer and cacti lover Bruno Dölz, who was President of the German Cactus Society from 1941 to 1945. John Borg placed them in the genus Oreocereus in 1937