Copiapoa gigantea

Copiapoa gigantea is a species of Copiapoa found from Antofagasta to north Atacama, Chile.

Description
Copiapoa gigantea forms larger groups up to 1.5 meters high and a diameter of up to two meters. The spherical to cylindrical shoots branch out from the base as well as laterally. They are gray-green to gray and reach a diameter of between 12 and 25 centimeters. The 20 to 37 ribs are notched. They flatten out a bit over time. The large areoles are orange. There is a central spine, which can sometimes be absent. The up to nine radial spines are yellowish with a dark tip and up to three centimeters long.

The lemon-yellow flowers are wide open and 2.5 to 4 centimeters long, with a diameter of up to five centimeters. They are odorless.

Distribution
Copiapoa gigantea is found in Chile in the Antofagasta region near, the coast of Paposo.

Taxonomy
The first description was in 1936 by Curt Backeberg. Nomenclatural synonyms are Copiapoa cinerea var. gigantea (Backeb.) N.P.Taylor (1987) and Copiapoa cinerea subsp. gigantea (Backeb.) Slaba (1997).