Thelocactus hexaedrophorus

Thelocactus hexaedrophorus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Thelocactus
Species:
T. hexaedrophorus
Binomial name
Thelocactus hexaedrophorus
(Lem.) Britton & Rose 1922
Synonyms
List
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus Lem. 1839
    • Echinofossulocactus hexaedrophorus (Lem.) Lawr. 1841
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus var. decipiens (Lem.) Pilbeam 1996
    • Echinocactus droegeanus Hildm. ex K.Schum. 1898
    • Echinocactus fossulatus Scheidw. 1841
    • Echinocactus fossulatus var. quadrispinus Regel 1858
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus var. decipiens A.Berger 1929
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus var. droegeanus Schelle 1907
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus var. fossulatus (Scheidw.) Salm-Dyck 1853
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus f. fossulatus (Scheidw.) Voss 1894
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus f. labouretianus (K.Schum.) Schelle 1907
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus var. labouretianus K.Schum. 1898
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus var. major Quehl 1894
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus f. major (Quehl) Schelle 1907
    • Echinocactus hexaedrophorus var. subcostatus Salm-Dyck 1850
    • Echinocactus insculptus Scheidw. 1837
    • Thelocactus fossulatus (Scheidw.) Britton & Rose 1923
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus var. droegeanus (Schelle) Pilbeam 1996
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus var. fossulatus (Scheidw.) Backeb. 1961
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus subsp. francii Halda & Sladk. 2000
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus subsp. jarmilae Halda & Chvastek 2000
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus subsp. kvetae Chvastek & Halda 2000
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus var. labouretianus (K.Schum.) Pilbeam 1996
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus var. lloydii (Britton & Rose) Kladiwa & Fittkau 1975
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus subsp. lloydii (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor 1998
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus var. major (Quehl) Y.Itô 1952
    • Thelocactus hexaedrophorus var. paradensis Pilbeam 1996
    • Thelocactus lloydii Britton & Rose 1923

Thelocactus hexaedrophorus is a species of cactus. It is endemic to Mexico.

Description

Thelocactus hexaedrophorus grows solitary, it is a spherical cactus, 3 to 7.5 cm (1.2 to 3.0 in) tall and 8 to 15 cm (3.1 to 5.9 in) in diameter, with a bluish, olive-green, or gray-green body. It has 8 to 13 ribs dissolved into warty, six-sided tubercles, 8 to 20 mm (0.31 to 0.79 in) long and 13 to 26 mm (0.51 to 1.02 in) wide. Areoles are 4 to 13 mm (0.16 to 0.51 in) long, spaced 2 to 3.5 cm (0.79 to 1.38 in) apart. The plant features 4 to 8 radial spines, 5 to 60 mm (0.20 to 2.36 in) long, in colors ranging from white to ocher, reddish, or brown, and a central spine 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.18 in) long. Flowers are large, 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) wide, ranging from white to pale pink. The fruits are green to magenta, 7 to 11 mm (0.28 to 0.43 in) in size, and dry when open.[2]

  • Plant
    Plant
  • Blooming Plant
    Blooming Plant
  • Flowers
    Flowers
  • Pink flower form
    Pink flower form
  • Fruit
    Fruit

Distribution

Thelocactus hexaedrophorus is endemic to the limestone slopes in the Chihuahuan Desert, savanna, and grasslands of San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo León, Mexico at elevations between 1100 and 2000 meters. Plants are found growing along with Mammillaria parkinsonii, Mammillaria aureilanata, Ariocarpus retusus, Turbinicarpus saueri subsp. knuthianus , Coryphantha maiz-tablasensis, Astrophytum myriostigma, Echinocactus platyacanthus, Echinocereus enneacanthus var. carnosus, Coryphantha cornifera, Ferocactus latispinus, Echinocereus pectinatus, Echinocereus cinerascens, Opuntia rastrera, Opuntia lindheimeri, Cylindropuntia imbricata, Myrtillocactus geometrizans, Polaskia chende, Agave salmiana, Yucca filifera, Jatropha dioica and Fritillaria affinis.[3]

Taxonomy

The plant was first described as Echinocactus hexaedrophorus by Charles Lemaire in 1839,[4] and later placed in the genus Thelocactus by Britton and Rose in 1922.[5] The specific epithet hexaedrophorus is derived from the Greek words hexa- for 'six', hedra for 'level' and -phoros for 'bearing' and refers to hexagonal warts of the species.

References

  1. ^ Sotomayor, M.; Gómez-Hinostrosa, C.; Hernández, H.M.; Smith, M. (2017). "Thelocactus hexaedrophorus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T151807A121568275. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T151807A121568275.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ Anderson, Edward F. (2001). The Cactus Family. Portland, Or: Timber Press (OR). p. 660. ISBN 0-88192-498-9.
  3. ^ "Thelocactus hexaedrophorus". LLIFLE. 2013-08-04. Retrieved 2024-09-15. This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
  4. ^ Lemaire, Charles Antoine (1839). Cactearum genera nova speciesque novæ et omnium in Horto monvilliano cultarum ex affinitatibus naturalibus ordinatio nova indexque methodicus /. Lutetiis-Parisiorum: J. Loss. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.124858.
  5. ^ Club., Torrey Botanical (1922). "Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club". Torrey Botanical Club. Retrieved 2024-09-15.