Maihuenia poeppigii

Maihuenia poeppigii, commonly known in Chile as maihuén or hierba del guanaco,^[3][4] is a succulent cactus shrub from Argentina of a type called a cushion plant. The flowers and fruit are yellow. M. poeppigii is remarkably tolerant to moisture^[5] and cold temperatures.^[6]

Maihuenia poeppigii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Maihuenia
Species:	M. poeppigii
Binomial name
Maihuenia poeppigii (Otto ex Pfeiffer) Phil. ex K. Schum
Synonyms[2]
Opuntia poeppigii

The specific epithet poepigii commemorates Eduard Pöppig, a 19th-century German naturalist who explored South America.^[7]

Description

This is a cactus species forming dense cushions often consisting of hundreds of individual segments. The plant's specific physical characteristics are listed below:

• Leaves: Small and succulent.^[5]
• Flowers: Showy, large, satiny and lemon-yellow in color. It flowers in late spring.^[2][5]
• Fruit Small, round and yellow.^[8]