Pygmaeocereus bieblii

Pygmaeocereus bieblii, synonym Haageocereus bieblii, is a species of cactus from Peru.^[1][2]

Pygmaeocereus bieblii
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Tribe:	Cereeae
Subtribe:	Trichocereinae
Genus:	Pygmaeocereus
Species:	P. bieblii
Binomial name
Pygmaeocereus bieblii Diers
Synonyms[1]
Haageocereus bieblii (Diers) Lodé

Description

Pygmaeocereus bieblii grows individually with spherical, green shoots up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in diameter that barely protrude from the ground. The 10 to 25 barely recognizable ribs are divided into wart-like humps. The single central spine, which is 2 to 4 mm (0.079 to 0.157 in) long and 1 mm (0.039 in) in diameter, may also be missing. The 3 to 10 comb-shaped radial spines are white to dark yellow and 1 to 1.5 mm (0.039 to 0.059 in) long.

The broad, funnel-shaped, white flowers are 6 to 7 cm (2.4 to 2.8 in) long and 4.5 to 6 cm (1.8 to 2.4 in) in diameter. Its flower tube is long and slender. The 6 to 10 mm (0.24 to 0.39 in) long fruits are greenish red to brownish.^[3]

Taxonomy

The first description was made in 1995 by Lothar Diers.^[4] The specific epithet bieblii honors the German cactus collector Wolfgang Biebl.

Subspecies

As of December 2024^[update], Plants of the World Online accepted two subspecies:^[1]

• Pygmaeocereus bieblii subsp. bieblii
• Pygmaeocereus bieblii subsp. kuehhasii (Diers) Ostolaza

Distribution

Pygmaeocereus bieblii is distributed in the Ancash region of Peru, northwest of Huaraz, at altitudes of 600 to 1800 meters.