Pelecyphora alversonii

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Pelecyphora alversonii
Coryphantha alversonii.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Pelecyphora
Species:
P. alversonii
Binomial name
Pelecyphora alversonii
(J.M.Coult.) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez
Synonyms
  • Cactus radiosus var. alversoniiJ.M.Coult. 1894
  • Coryphantha alversonii(J.M.Coult.) Orcutt 1926
  • Coryphantha vivipara var. alversonii(J.M.Coult.) L.D.Benson 1969
  • Escobaria alversonii(J.M.Coult.) N.P.Taylor 1997
  • Escobaria vivipara var. alversonii(J.M.Coult.) D.R.Hunt 1978
  • Mammillaria alversonii(J.M.Coult.) Zeiss. 1895
  • Mammillaria radiosa var. alversonii(J.M.Coult.) K.Schum. 1898
  • Mammillaria vivipara var. alversonii(J.M.Coult.) L.D.Benson 1950

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. [2]

Contents

Description

Pelecyphora alversonii usually grows sprouting and forms underground, cylindrical offshoots with a diameter of 6–9 cm. The more or less spherical shoots reach heights of up to 7-25 centimeters. The plants have 18-33 radial spines per areoles. The eight to ten central spines have a white to dark red or black tip and are 1.2 to 1.6 centimeters long. The twelve to 18 white marginal spines are 1.2 to 2 centimeters long. [3]

The flowers are magenta to pink and reach a diameter of around 3.2 centimeters. The ellipsoid fruits are green. [4] Chromosome count is 2n = 22. [5]

Distribution

Pelecyphora alversonii is widespread in the United States in southeastern California in the Mojave Desert and neighboring Arizona at elevations around 75–600 meters. [5]

Taxonomy

The first description as Cactus radiosus var. alversonii by John Merle Coulter was published in 1894. [6] The specific epithet alversonii honors the mineral explorer Andrew H. Alverson (1845–1916). Nigel Paul Taylor placed the variety as a species in the genus Escobaria in 1997. [7] David Aquino & Daniel Sánchez moved the species to Pelecyphora based on phylogenetic studies in 2022. [8] Further nomenclature synonyms are Mammillaria alversonii (J.M.Coult.) Zeiss. (1895), Mammillaria radiosa var. alversonii (J.M.Coult.) K.Schum. (1898), Mammillaria arizonica var. alversonii (J.M.Coult.) Davidson & Moxley (1923), Coryphantha alversonii (J.M.Coult.) Orcutt (1926), Mammillaria vivipara var vivipara var. alversonii (J.M.Coult.) L.D.Benson (1969), Escobaria vivipara var. alversonii (J.M.Coult.) D.R.Hunt (1978) and Escobaria alversonii (J.M.Coult.) N.P.Taylor (1997).

Conservation status

It is vulnerable species on the California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mammillaria</i> Genus of cactus mostly from Mexico

Mammillaria is one of the largest genera in the cactus family (Cactaceae), with currently 200 known species and varieties recognized. Most of the mammillaria are native to Mexico, but some come from the southwest United States, the Caribbean, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala and Honduras. The common name "pincushion cactus" refers to this and the closely related genus Escobaria.

<i>Cochemiea</i> Genus of cactus

Cochemiea is a genus of cactus. The group was previously synonymized with Mammillaria, until molecular phylogenetic studies determined that—when broadly circumscribed—Mammillaria is not monophyletic; thus, Cochemiea has been accepted as a distinct genus.

<i>Pelecyphora</i> Genus of cacti

Pelecyphora, pincushion cactus or foxtail cactus is a genus of cacti, comprising 20 species. They originate from Mexico and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cacteae</span> Tribe of plants

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.

<i>Pelecyphora missouriensis</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora missouriensis, the Missouri foxtail cactus and formerly Coryphantha missouriensis, is a species of low-growing North American cacti.

<i>Pelecyphora vivipara</i> Species of cactus

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.

<i>Pelecyphora minima</i> Species of cactus

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.

<i>Pelecyphora sneedii</i> Species of cactus

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.

<i>Pelecyphora macromeris</i> Species of cactus

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.

<i>Pelecyphora tuberculosa</i> Species of plant

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.

<i>Pelecyphora cubensis</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora cubensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Cuba.

<i>Pelecyphora laredoi</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora laredoi is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Mexico.

<i>Pelecyphora hesteri</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora hesteri is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Texas, United States.

<i>Pelecyphora dasyacantha</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora dasyacantha is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the Mexico.

<i>Pelecyphora emskoetteriana</i> Species of cactus

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.

<i>Pelecyphora lloydii</i> Species of cactus

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 abdita is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the Mexico.

<i>Pelecyphora robbinsiorum</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora robbinsiorum known by the common names Cochise pincushion cactus and Cochise foxtail cactus is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae.

References

  1. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010-05-11. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  2. "Pelecyphora alversonii (J.M.Coult.) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  3. The American Southwest (2014-05-02). "Escobaria alversonii, Cushion foxtail cactus". National Parks and National Monuments of the American Southwest and West. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  4. Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. p. 272. ISBN   3-8001-4573-1.
  5. 1 2 "Coryphantha alversonii". University and Jepson Herbaria Home Page. 2023-11-24. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  6. Ewan, Joseph (1963). "ANDREW ALVERSON (1845-1916) OF CALIFORNIA AND HIS CACTUS CATALOGUE". Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History. 4 (3). Edinburgh University Press: 170–177. doi:10.3366/jsbnh.1963.4.3.170. ISSN   0037-9778.
  7. States., United (1892). Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Vol. v.3 (1892-1896). Smithsonian Institution Press. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  8. Sánchez, Daniel; Vázquez-Benítez, Balbina; Vázquez-Sánchez, Monserrat; Aquino, David; Arias, Salvador (2022-01-21). "Phylogenetic relationships in Coryphantha and implications on Pelecyphora and Escobaria (Cacteae, Cactoideae, Cactaceae)". PhytoKeys (188). Pensoft Publishers: 115–165. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.188.75739 . ISSN   1314-2003. PMC   8799629 . PMID   35106054.
  9. "California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-02): Coryphantha alversonii". cnps.org. Retrieved 2015-05-17.