Oroya borchersii

Oroya borchersii is a species of cacti (family Cactaceae), originating from Peru^[2]

Oroya borchersii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Oroya
Species:	O. borchersii
Binomial name
Oroya borchersii (Boed.) Backeb. 1958
Synonyms
Echinocactus borchersii Boed. 1933 Oroya borchersii var. fuscata Rauh & Backeb. 1956 publ. 1957 Oroya borchersii f. fuscata (Rauh & Backeb.) Krainz 1963

Description

Oroya borchersii grows individually or forms groups with shoots that reach heights of 12 to 32 cm (4.7 to 12.6 in) with diameters of 15 to 22 cm (5.9 to 8.7 in). There are 12 to 30 ribs. The brown areoles are elongated. The yellowish to reddish brown, 2 to 2.5 cm (0.79 to 0.98 in) long spines are difficult to distinguish between central and peripheral spines. There are 1 to 3 central spines and 25 to 30 thin, needle-like to bristle-like, comb-shaped radial spines.

The yellow to greenish yellow flowers are up to 2 cm (0.79 in) long and reach a diameter of 1.5 cm (0.59 in). The club-shaped fruits are yellow-green and up to 2.5 cm (0.98 in) long.^[3]

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  Flowers closeup in habitat
• 
  Plant growing in Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tucson, Arizona

Distribution

Oroya borchersii is widespread in the Ancash region of Peru in the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Negra at altitudes of 3900 to 4300 meters.

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  Plants growing in habitat in Ancash
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Taxonomy

The first description as Echinocactus borchersii was published in 1933 by Friedrich Bödeker. Curt Backeberg placed the species in the genus Oroya in 1958.^[4]