# Oreocereus

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Genus of cacti

Oreocereus Oreocereus celsianus Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Order: Caryophyllales Family: Cactaceae Subfamily: Cactoideae Tribe: Cereeae Subtribe: Trichocereinae Genus: Oreocereus (A.Berger) Riccob. Type species Oreocereus celsianus Species See text. Synonyms[1] Arequipa Britton & Rose Arequipiopsis Kreuz. & Buining Moraquipa Rüd.Baumgärtner Morawetzia Backeb.

***Oreocereus*** is a [genus](/source/Genus) of [cacti](/source/Cactus) ([family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) Cactaceae), known only from high altitudes of the [Andes](/source/Andes). Its name means "mountain [cereus](/source/Cereus_(plant))", formed from the Greek prefix **[oreo-](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oro-)** (ὀρεο-, mountain)[2] and the [Neo-Latin](/source/Neo-Latin) **cereus**, meaning wax or torch.

## Description

The species of the genus Oreocereus grow shrubby, branching only sparsely from the base and reach heights of growth of 2 to 3 meters. Trunks are rarely formed. The erect, pendulous or rarely extended cylindrical shoots are notched or warty between the ribs. The areoles often have long white hairs and dense spines. As they are covered with woolly white fuzz (modified spines), a few species in this genus are sometimes known as the **old-man cactus**,[3][4] a generic name that also refers to *[Cephalocereus senilis](/source/Cephalocereus_senilis)* or *[Espostoa lanata](/source/Espostoa_lanata)*. More rarely, the **old man of the mountain** is also used for some species.[nb 1]

The tubular to funnel-shaped, more or less radially symmetrical, orange to red to violet flowers arise near the shoot tip, or sometimes from the terminal cephalium, and open during the day. The flower-tube is straight to slightly curved and sometimes laterally compressed. The numerous areoles on the pericarpel and the flower tube are hairy. The spherical to oblong fruits contain broadly oval, dull or shiny black seeds.[7][8]

## Species

As of October 2025[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oreocereus&action=edit), [Plants of the World Online](/source/Plants_of_the_World_Online) accepts the following species:[1]

Image Scientific name Distribution Oreocereus celsianus (Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) A.Berger ex Riccob. Peru, Bolivia, Argentina (Jujuy) Oreocereus doelzianus (Backeb.) Borg Peru. Oreocereus hempelianus (Gürke) D.R.Hunt Peru to Chile (Tarapacá) Oreocereus leucotrichus (Phil.) Wagenkn. Chile, Peru Oreocereus pseudofossulatus D.R.Hunt Bolivia. Oreocereus ritteri Cullmann Peru Oreocereus tacnaensis F.Ritter Peru Oreocereus trollii (Kupper) Backeb. Argentina, Bolivia

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** “[...] hairy cacti in cultivation include: golden old man (*[C. chrysacanthus](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cephalocereus_chrysacanthus&action=edit&redlink=1)*), old woman (*[Mammillaria hahniana](/source/Mammillaria_hahniana)*), Chilean old lady (*[Neoporteria senilis](/source/Eriosyce_senilis)*), and **old man of the mountain (*[Borzicactus trollii](/source/Oreocereus_trollii)*)**.”[5] [emphasis added, *B. trollii* being an old name for *O. trollii*].[6]

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Plants_of_the_World_Online_2020_m892_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Plants_of_the_World_Online_2020_m892_1-1) ["*Oreocereus* Riccob. — Plants of the World Online"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30004843-2). *Plants of the World Online*. 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2023-09-29.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["oreography"](https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?q=oreography). *[Oxford English Dictionary](/source/Oxford_English_Dictionary)* (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or [participating institution membership](https://www.oed.com/public/login/loggingin#withyourlibrary) required.)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** University of Vermont, [Indoor Plants](http://pss.uvm.edu/pss123/cacesp.html)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Barry Walker; Huw Lloyd (2007). [*Peruvian Wildlife: A Visitor's Guide to the Central Andes*](https://books.google.com/books?id=fWFHDhLnylAC&pg=PA23). Bradt Travel Guides. p. 23. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-84162-167-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84162-167-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** *Encyclopædia Britannica* (1991), entry ‘old-man cactus’.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Mabberley2008_6-0)** D. J. Mabberley (2008-05-01). [*Mabberley's Plant-book: A Portable Dictionary of Plants, Their Classifications, and Uses*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9RyKKHtwXUYC&pg=PA608). Cambridge University Press. p. 608. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-521-82071-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-82071-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Backeberg_1984_p._2619–2629_8-0)** Backeberg, Curt (January 1984). *Die Cactaceae* (in German). Fischer. pp. 2619–2629. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [3-437-30383-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-437-30383-X).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Anderson_Eggli_2005_p._482_9-0)** Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). *Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon* (in German). Ulmer. p. 482. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [3-8001-4573-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-8001-4573-1).

## External links

- Media related to [*Oreocereus*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Oreocereus) at Wikimedia Commons

- Data related to [*Oreocereus*](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Oreocereus) at Wikispecies

Taxon identifiers Oreocereus Wikidata: Q134007 Wikispecies: Oreocereus APDB: 240828 BioLib: 105615 CoL: 69K5 EoL: 5187339 EPPO: 1ORKG FNA: 123104 GBIF: 7282497 GRIN: 8535 iNaturalist: 205049 IPNI: 30004843-2 IRMNG: 1320015 ITIS: 907004 NCBI: 153882 Open Tree of Life: 244724 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30004843-2 Tropicos: 40033079 WFO: wfo-4000027071 Cereus subg. Oreocereus Wikidata: Q14928253 IPNI: 60442037-2 Tropicos: 50164462 WFO: wfo-3500004036

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Oreocereus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oreocereus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oreocereus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.