Pelecyphora minima

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Pelecyphora minima
Escobaria minima.jpg
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [1]
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. minima
Binomial name
Pelecyphora minima
(Baird) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez
Synonyms

Coryphantha nellieae
Coryphantha minima
Escobaria nellieae
Mammillaria nellieae
Escobaria minima

Contents

Range of Escobaria minima Escobaria minima Range.png
Range of Escobaria minima

Pelecyphora minima (syn. Coryphantha 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. [2] This cactus is found only in Brewster County, Texas, in the United States, where there are three populations remaining near Marathon. [2] [3] The cactus is limited to one outcrop in the Marathon Uplift, where it grows in rocky novaculite soils. [4] [5] It was added to the endangered species list in 1979. [5]

Description

The cactus' stem is mostly beneath the soil surface with the above ground portion a spiny spherical or columnar body no more than 3 centimeters long. It can become larger in cultivation. The longest spines are about half a centimeter long. They are flattened in shape and the tips are not needle-sharp but slightly more rounded. In color they may be tinged tan, yellow, gray, or pink, and sometimes the tips are darker. The flower is roughly 1.5 centimeters long and bright pink to magenta or rose-purple in color. [3] It may be larger than the cactus body itself. [2] The green or yellowish fruit is no more than 6 millimeters long.

Distribution and habitat

The cactus' natural habitat is the Chihuahuan desert scrub, where it grows in mats of Selaginella in rock crevices. [3] It occurs in association with Echinocereus viridiflorus var. davisii, another cactus variety on the endangered species list. [5]

Taxonomy

The first description as Coryphantha minima was published in 1931 by Ralph O. Baird. The specific epithet minima comes from Latin, means 'very small' and refers to the size of the species. David Richard Hunt placed it in the genus Escobaria in 1978. [6] David Aquino & Daniel Sánchez moved the species to Pelecyphora based on phylogenetic studies in 2022. [7] Further nomenclature synonyms is Neobesseya minima (Baird) Lodé (2013) and Escobaria minima (Baird) D.R.Hunt (1978).

Cultivation

This cactus is tiny, interesting, and attractive, and it is a favorite of cactus hobbyists. [8] Collectors have long visited the small patch of land where the cactus occurs. Much of this land is privately owned and not open to surveys or visitors, and the exact abundance of the cactus is not known. [4] The cactus was once found on a ranch in the area, but the owner of the ranch allowed cactus collectors to scour the land for specimens and this species was extirpated from the site. [5] It has also been eliminated from easy-to-reach highway margins where it used to grow. [8]

The plant is propagated by growers today. [4]

Related Research Articles

<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.

<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 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.

<i>Echinocereus chisoensis</i> Species of cactus

Echinocereus chisoensis is a rare North American species of cactus known by the common name Chisos Mountain hedgehog cactus, native to the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Mexico and the south-central United States.

<i>Echinocereus viridiflorus</i> Species of cactus

Echinocereus viridiflorus is a species of cactus known by the common names nylon hedgehog cactus, green pitaya, and small-flowered hedgehog cactus. It is native to the central and south-central United States and northern Mexico, where it can be found in varied habitat types, including desert scrub, woodlands, dry grasslands, and short-grass prairie.

<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 alversonii</i> Species of cactus

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.

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

Pelecyphora chihuahuensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to 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. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  2. 1 2 3 Escobaria minima. The Nature Conservancy.
  3. 1 2 3 Escobaria minima. Flora of North America.
  4. 1 2 3 Escobaria minima. Center for Plant Conservation.
  5. 1 2 3 4 USFWS. Determination that Echinocereus viridiflorus var. davisii and Coryphantha minima are endangered species. Federal Register November 7, 1979.
  6. Hunt, D. R. (1978). "Amplification of the genus Escobaria". The Cactus and Succulent Journal of Great Britain. British Cactus and Succulent Society. 40 (1): 13–13. ISSN   0007-9375. JSTOR   42786688 . Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  7. 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. Pensoft Publishers (188): 115–165. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.188.75739 . ISSN   1314-2003. PMC   8799629 .
  8. 1 2 Escobaria minima. Texas Parks and Wildlife.