Copiapoas - Shop
Copiapoas are slow growing Cacti from mainly Chile.
Most are found near the coast in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places in South America.
In habitat, the plants receive very little actual rainfall in most years, surviving instead on the frequent mists that drift inland from above the cold ocean. The sea here is unusually cold for the latitude because of the cold Humboldt current which originates in Antarctic waters.
There are roughly 25 species of Copiapoa, many are quite similar in appearance, especially when young. They vary in size from the miniature Copiapoa laui to others that form huge clusters, up to three metres in diameter, comprising hundreds of stems such as Copiapoa dealbata. Almost all have yellow flowers produced from the crown of the plant. There are a number with large tuberous roots for storing water to help cope with drought conditions, during which the heads of the smaller growing species can be flush with the ground and even covered with sand.
