Loxanthocereus xylorhizus is a species of Loxanthocereus found in Peru.
Description
Borzicactus xylorhizus grows as a shrub with spread-out or somewhat upright, gray-green shoots and reaches lengths of 20 to 50 centimeters (rarely up to 1 meter) with diameters of 5 to 7 centimeters. They have 14 to 19 notched ribs, 3-4 straight or upwardly curved, thick and subulate central spines 4-5 cm long and 16 to 22 marginal radial spines brownish yellow and up to 1 cm long. The spines have a characteristic arrangement in multiple directions. The flowers are oblique tubular, 6-7 cm long and vermilion-red in color, they produce greenish to reddish brown globular fruits about 2-3 cm in diameter.
Distribution
Loxanthocereus xylorhizus is widespread in the Lima region of Peru in the mountains around Chosica at altitudes of 800 to 900 meters.
Taxonomy
In Peru Loxanthocereus xylorhizus is botanically considered named after the flowers are oblique and zygomorphic, very open at the end and not tubular and actinomorphic, closed at the apex as in Cleistocactus. '
The first description as Loxanthocereus xylorhizus was made in 1981 by Friedrich Ritter. It was described in Quebrada California, Chaclacayo, Lima, where there are almost no specimens. There are some left in the Quebrada Yanacoto in Chontay, Cieneguilla, in the heights of Chosica and in Huinco, in the Santa Eulalia Valley, Huarochirí. Graham J. Charles placed the species in the genus Borzicactus in 2012. Further nomenclature synonyms are Cleistocactus xylorhizus (F.Ritter) Ostolaza (1996) and Echinopsis xylorhiza (F.Ritter) Molinari (2015).