| Neolloydia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Neolloydia conoidea | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Tribe: | Cacteae |
| Genus: | Neolloydia Britton & Rose |
| Type species | |
| Neolloydia conoidea | |
These small, low-growing cacti are usually solitary or form loose cushions. They have spherical to cylindrical shoots that are typically yellowish-green with whitish, woolly tips. The plants measure 3 to 6 centimeters in diameter and 5 to 24 centimeters in height. They have weakly developed or absent ribs. Distinctive conical warts, 3 to 10 millimeters long and 6 to 10 millimeters wide, are prominent on the surface. The areoles are dimorphic, about 3 to 5 millimeters in diameter, spaced 8 to 12 millimeters apart, with a furrow. Central spines, which may be absent, are 1 to 2 (sometimes up to 6) in number, variable in color from black to reddish-brown, straight, and erect, measuring 5 to 25 millimeters. Radial spines are straight, white or whitish with dark tips, and 5 to 7 millimeters long. The flowers are small, funnel-shaped, and typically purple-red. They are 2 to 3 centimeters long and 4 to 6 centimeters in diameter, with a smooth (glabrous) calyx. Fruits are round, green to greenish-brown, smooth, do not open, and measure 4 to 5 millimeters across. They contain black, pear-shaped, warty seeds. [1]
Neolloydia is native to northern Mexico, with its range from West Texas south through the Chihuahuan Desert to Querétaro.
The genus was first erected by Britton and Rose in 1922. [2] The name honors American botanist Francis Ernest Lloyd. [3] Edward F. Anderson regarded Neolloydia as being poorly defined, with the result that species that had at times been included in Neolloydia were afterwards placed in multiple genera, including Coryphantha , Echinomastus , Escobaria , Mammillaria , Sclerocactus , Thelocactus and Turbinicarpus . In his 2001 book, Anderson firmly placed only one species in the genus, Neolloydia conoidea, with another, Neolloydia matehualensis, being regarded as only a variant of N. conoidea. [4] As of December 2022 [update] , Plants of the World Online treated Neolloydia conoidea as a synonym of Cochemiea conoidea , [5] and Neolloydia as a synonym of Cochemiea . [6]
As of October 2025 [update] , Plants of the World Online accepts the following species. [7]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Neolloydia conoidea (DC.) Britton & Rose | southern United States to central Mexico |
| Neolloydia inexpectata D.Donati | Mexico (Tamaulipas) | |
 | Neolloydia matehualensis Backeb. | Mexico (San Luis Potosí) |
Species formerly placed in Neolloydia include: [8]
Media related to Neolloydia at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Neolloydia at Wikispecies