Soehrensia huascha

Soehrensia huascha, is a species of Soehrensia in the Cactaceae family, found in north western Argentina. First published in Cactaceae Syst. Init. 29: 5 in 2013.

Was formerly thought to be a species of Echinopsis.

Description
The plants usually branch at the base and form low groups with heights of up to 1 meter. The cylindrical, fresh green, upright or creeping trunks with an erect shoot tip have 14 - 17 ribs and reach about 5 cm in diameter. The areoles, from which the yellowish to brownish, needle-like spines arise, reach a diameter of up to 1 cm. The 1 - 3 central spines are slightly thicker than the radial spines and are between 2 and 7 cm long. The 9 to 11 radial spines are up to 1.5 inches long.

The funnel-shaped to bell-shaped flowers that appear near the apex are very variable. They open during the day and are up to 10 cm long and up to 7 cm in diameter. The olive green, 4.5 cm long flower cup is covered with 4 to 6 mm long, brownish to black hair.

The spherical to egg-shaped fruits are yellowish green or reddish and reach a diameter of up to 3 cm.

Subspecies
It has 2 accepted subspecies;
 * Soehrensia huascha subsp. huascha
 * Soehrensia huascha subsp. robusta

Distribution
Soehrensia huascha is widespread in the northwest of Argentina in the provinces of Catamarca and La Rioja and grows at altitudes of 500 to 2000 meters.

Taxonomy
The first description as Cereus huascha was published in 1893 by Frédéric Albert Constantin Weber. The specific epithet huascha is derived from a local Argentine word meaning orphan. Boris O. Schlumpberger placed the species in the genus Soehrensia in 2013. Further nomenclature synonyms are Trichocereus huascha (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose (1920), Lobivia huascha (F.A.C.Weber) W.T.Marshall (1938), Helianthocereus huascha (F.A.C.Weber) Backeb. (1951), Salpingolobivia huascha (F.A.C.Weber) Y.Itô (1957) and 'Echinopsis huascha'' (F.A.C.Weber) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley (1974). There are numerous other synonyms.