Polaskia

Polaskia
	Polaskia chichipe
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Tribe:	Echinocereeae
Genus:	Polaskia; Backeb.
Species
	Polaskia chende - chende, chinoa; Polaskia chichipe - chichipe, chichibe, chichituna;
Synonyms
	Chichipia Backeb. (nom. inval.); Heliabravoa Backeb.;

Polaskia (named after American amateur Charles Polaski) is a genus of tree-like cacti reaching 4–5 m high, comprising 2 species. Both present primitive characteristics, but Polaskia chichipe is nearer to Myrtillocactus while Polaskia chende is nearer to Stenocereus. The genus is found in the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca.^[1]^[2]

Description

The tree-like, highly branched species of the Polaskia genus reach heights of growth of between 4 and 5 meters and form dense crowns 3 to 4 meters above the ground. Its bright green shoots repeatedly fork and grow 1 to 2 meters long. The 7 to 12 ribs are sharply triangular in cross-section. On their edges, these wear 3 to 4 millimeters wide, shield-shaped areoles at close intervals. The central spine may be absent. The 3 to 8 radial spines are greyish to blackish.

The urn- to bell-shaped flowers are white to creamy white to yellowish green. They open day and night and are between 4 and 6 centimeters long.

The red, spherical fruits with a diameter of 2 to 4 centimeters are juicy and edible. The small seeds it contains are pear- to ovoid-shaped and dull black.

Synonymy

The following genera have been brought into synonymy with Polaskia:

Chichipia Backeb. (nom. inval.)
Heliabravoa Backeb.

Extant Species

Species as of 2021:^[3]

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Polaskia chende	chende, chinoa	Oaxaca & Puebla Mexico
	Polaskia chichipe	chichipe, chichibe, chichituna	Oaxaca & Puebla Mexico

References

^ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das große Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart. ISBN 978-3-8001-4573-7. OCLC 181456857.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ "On-line Guide to the positive identification of Members of the Cactus Family". On-line Guide to the positive identification of Members of the Cactus Family. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
^ Korotkova, Nadja; Aquino, David; Arias, Salvador; Eggli, Urs; Franck, Alan; Gómez-Hinostrosa, Carlos; Guerrero, Pablo C.; Hernández, Héctor M.; Kohlbecker, Andreas; Köhler, Matias; Luther, Katja; Majure, Lucas C.; Müller, Andreas; Metzing, Detlev; Nyffeler, Reto; Sánchez, Daniel; Schlumpberger, Boris; Berendsohn, Walter G. (2021-08-31). "Cactaceae at Caryophyllales.org – a dynamic online species-level taxonomic backbone for the family". Willdenowia. 51 (2). Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Freie Universitaet Berlin. doi:10.3372/wi.51.51208. ISSN 0511-9618.

External links

Media related to Polaskia at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Polaskia at Wikispecies

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[Anderson_Eggli_2005_p.-1] Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das große Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart. ISBN 978-3-8001-4573-7. OCLC 181456857.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[On-line_Guide_to_the_positive_identification_of_Members_of_the_Cactus_Family-2] "On-line Guide to the positive identification of Members of the Cactus Family". On-line Guide to the positive identification of Members of the Cactus Family. Retrieved 2022-10-25.

[Korotkova_Aquino_Arias_Eggli_2021_p.-3] Korotkova, Nadja; Aquino, David; Arias, Salvador; Eggli, Urs; Franck, Alan; Gómez-Hinostrosa, Carlos; Guerrero, Pablo C.; Hernández, Héctor M.; Kohlbecker, Andreas; Köhler, Matias; Luther, Katja; Majure, Lucas C.; Müller, Andreas; Metzing, Detlev; Nyffeler, Reto; Sánchez, Daniel; Schlumpberger, Boris; Berendsohn, Walter G. (2021-08-31). "Cactaceae at Caryophyllales.org – a dynamic online species-level taxonomic backbone for the family". Willdenowia. 51 (2). Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Freie Universitaet Berlin. doi:10.3372/wi.51.51208. ISSN 0511-9618.

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