Pelecyphora | |
---|---|
Pelecyphora strobiliformis | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Cactaceae |
Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
Tribe: | Cacteae |
Genus: | Pelecyphora C.Ehrenb. |
Type species | |
Pelecyphora aselliformis | |
Species | |
see text | |
Synonyms | |
Pelecyphora, pincushion cactus or foxtail cactus [1] is a genus of cacti, comprising 20 species. They originate from Mexico and the United States. [2] [3]
Common species include the Missouri foxtail cactus P. missouriensis , [4] widespread in grassland and forest west of the Mississippi, and the spinystar P. vivipara , [5] distributed across the US and into Canada, first described by Nuttall in 1813.
Pelecyphores are spherical to club-shaped stem succulents up to 6 cm (2.4 in) in diameter and gray-green in color. They branch only sparsely and only at an older age. The areoles standing on the longitudinally or transversely flattened warts have thorns in a pectinate (comb-shaped) arrangement. As we age, the thorns, then the areoles and finally the warts fall off. Between the warts, the plant bodies are initially dense and short-haired, so that the apexes are hidden.
The flowers arise individually from short furrows on the upper surfaces of the youngest areoles. They are bright purple and about 3 cm (1.2 in) long. The greenish fruits that form after the flowers are fertilized dry out when ripe and release the black seeds into the crown wool, from which they are only washed out (in nature) after a long time. [6]
Species accepted As of November 2023 [update] by Plants of the World Online with sections from Nigel Paul Taylor from 1986: [7] [8]
Section | Group | Image | Scientific name | Subspecies | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pelecyphora | Pelecyphora aselliformis C.Ehrenb. | San Luis Potosi, Mexico | |||
Pelecyphora strobiliformis (Werderm.) Frič & Schelle ex Kreutz | Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas states in Mexico | ||||
PleuranthaN.P.Taylor | Pelecyphora chihuahuensis (Britton & Rose) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez |
| Mexico | ||
Pelecyphora tuberculosa (Engelm.) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | New Mexico, Mexico | ||||
EscobariaBritton & Rose | Sneedii Group | Pelecyphora laredoi (Glass & R.A.Foster) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | Coahuila de Zaragoza - Mexico | ||
Pelecyphora sneedii (Britton & Rose) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez |
| Mexico (Chihuahua), United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) | |||
Vivipara Group | Pelecyphora alversonii (J.M.Coult.) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | Arizona, California | |||
Pelecyphora hesteri (Y.Wright) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez |
| Texas | |||
Pelecyphora vivipara (Nutt.) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | Canada (Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan ), Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Sonora), United States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming) | ||||
Neobesseya(Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor | Pelecyphora abdita (Řepka & Vaško) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez |
| Mexico (Coahuila) | ||
Pelecyphora emskoetteriana (Quehl) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | Mexico (Coahuila de Zaragoza, Tamaulipas ), United States (Texas) | ||||
Dasyacantha Group | Pelecyphora dasyacantha (Engelm.) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez |
| Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Zacatecas), USA (Texas, New Mexico) | ||
Pelecyphora duncanii (Hester) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | New Mexico, Texas | ||||
Pelecyphora lloydii (Britton & Rose) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | Mexico (Zacatecas) | ||||
Pelecyphora minima (Baird) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | Texas | ||||
Pelecyphora robbinsiorum (W.H.Earle) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | Arizona | ||||
Missouriensis Group | Pelecyphora cubensis (Britton & Rose) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | Cuba | |||
Pelecyphora macromeris (Engelm.) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez |
| S. New Mexico to W. Texas and NE. Mexico. | |||
Pelecyphora missouriensis (Sweet) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez |
| USA ( Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota), Mexico (Coahuila de Zaragoza, Nuevo Leon) | |||
Pelecyphora zilziana (Boed.) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | Mexico (Coahuila de Zaragoza) | ||||
At genus level
At species level
The following are synonyms of species now placed outside of Pelecyphora:
Both P. aselliformis and P. strobiliformis are classified as being of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, however both species are contained in Appendix 1 of CITES species (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) as at June 2013.
The Cactoideae are the largest subfamily of the cactus family, Cactaceae, and are widely distributed throughout the Americas. Cactaceae is the 5th most endangered plant or animal family evaluated globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Around 80% of cactus species belong to this subfamily. The genera of the Cactoideae are characterized by microscopic foliage leaves. All photosynthesis occurs in shoot cortex cells covered by a persistent epidermis and stomata. Another important characteristic of this subfamily is ribbed stems, which enable the inner cortex to expand radially without breaking the shoot surface to absorb large quantities of water.
Cacteae is a tribe of plants of the family Cactaceae found mainly in North America especially Mexico. As of August 2018, the internal classification of the family Cactaceae remained uncertain and subject to change. A classification incorporating many of the insights from the molecular studies was produced by Nyffeler and Eggli in 2010. The main threats to cactus species are poaching, farming, mining developments, and climate change.
Pelecyphora missouriensis, the Missouri foxtail cactus and formerly Coryphantha missouriensis, is a species of low-growing North American cacti.
Turbinicarpus pseudopectinatus is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae.
Pelecyphora vivipara is a species of cactus known by several common names, including spinystar, viviparous foxtail cactus, pincushion cactus and ball cactus. It is native to North America, where certain varieties can be found from Mexico to Canada. Most of these varieties are limited to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. The species epithet "vivipara" is due to the species' viviparous reproductive habit.
Pelecyphora minima is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Nellie cory cactus, Nellie's pincushion cactus, birdfoot cactus, and others. It is a very popular species among cactus collectors. This is one reason why it is a highly endangered species in the wild today. This cactus is found only in Brewster County, Texas, in the United States, where there are three populations remaining near Marathon. The cactus is limited to one outcrop in the Marathon Uplift, where it grows in rocky novaculite soils. It was added to the endangered species list in 1979.
Pelecyphora sneedii is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Sneed's pincushion cactus and carpet foxtail cactus. It is endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is a small, variable cactus with a lengthy taxonomic history, and is often subdivided into a number of subspecies or varieties. It is usually found on steep, rocky habitats, primarily of limestone geology, in desert scrub or coniferous forest. A species of conservation concern, P. sneedii faces threats from poaching, urban encroachment, and wildfires.
Cochemiea boolii is a species of cactus in the subfamily Cactoideae with pink-petaled flowers.
Pelecyphora macromeris, the nipple beehive cactus, is a species of cactus in the United States and Mexico. In the Chihuhuan Desert, it is common and has a wide range.
Pelecyphora tuberculosa, the corncob cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the south-central United States, and northern Mexico.
Pelecyphora alversonii commonly known as cushion foxtail cactus or cushion fox-tail cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the southwestern United States.
Pelecyphora chihuahuensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Mexico.
Pelecyphora cubensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Cuba.
Pelecyphora laredoi is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Mexico.
Pelecyphora dasyacantha is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the Mexico.
Pelecyphora emskoetteriana is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the Mexico and southern United States.
Pelecyphora zilziana is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Mexico.
Pelecyphora lloydii is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Mexico.
Pelecyphora duncanii is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the southern United States.
Pelecyphora robbinsiorum known by the common names Cochise pincushion cactus and Cochise foxtail cactus is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae.