| 🌵 Author(s) | Elisabeth SarnesNorbert Sarnes | 🌵 Published in | CactusWorld 36(2): 133 (2018) |
Aónikenk + Latin –ensis, geographical suffix. For the occurrence in the land of the Aónikenk people in Patagonia. Sarnes & Sarnes: “With the epithet of ‘aonikenkensis’ we want to remember the Aónikenk people, the natives of today’s province of Santa Cruz. Anyone who travels through the south of Patagonia wonders how cacti can survive in this cold and stormy wilderness. Even more astonishing is that native people lived here long before Europeans settled in this country and destroyed their culture and their lives. These people called themselves ‘Aónikenk’. The Mapuche people who had originated from Chile called them ‘Tehuelche’, both names meaning ‘men from the south’ (or also ‘fierce people’). We chose the epithet ‘aonikenkensis’ for the southernmost Austrocactus in memory of these proud people.”
Maarten H.J. van der Meer (2022 Oct 12). Austrocactus aonikenkensis. Dictionary of Cactus Names. Retrieved from https://www.cactusnames.org/austrocactus-aonikenkensis