Matucana krahnii

Matucana krahnii is a species of Matucana found in Peru.^[2]

Matucana krahnii
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Matucana
Species:	M. krahnii
Binomial name
Matucana krahnii (Donald) Bregman 1986
Synonyms
Borzicactus krahnii Donald 1979 Matucana calliantha F.Ritter 1981 Matucana calliantha var. prolifera F.Ritter 1981

Description

Matucana krahnii usually grows solitary and only rarely sprouts with flattened spherical to short cylindrical, grey-green shoots and reaches heights of 10 to 14 cm (3.9 to 5.5 in) with a diameter of 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in). There are 10 to 18 low and broad, conically bumpy ribs present. The mostly curved, pliable, yellowish-brown spines turn gray with age. The one to four central spines are 2 to 15 cm (0.79 to 5.91 in) and 8 to 18 radial spines 1.5 to 5 cm (0.59 to 1.97 in) long.

The straight to slightly curved, crimson flowers are up to 8.5 cm (3.3 in) long and have a diameter of 7 cm (2.8 in). The spherical, green fruits reach a diameter of up to 1 cm (0.39 in).^[3]

Distribution

Matucana krahnii is found in the Peruvian Amazon region north of the town of Balsas on steep sandstone slopes at altitudes of 1650 to 1750 meters.

Taxonomy

The first description as Borzicactus krahnii was in 1979 by John Donald Donald.^[4] The specific epithet krahnii honors the German cactus collector Wolfgang Krahn (* 1939). Rob Bregman placed the species in the genus Matucana in 1986.