| Pelecyphora missouriensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Genus: | Pelecyphora |
| Species: | P. missouriensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Pelecyphora missouriensis (Sweet) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
Synonymy
| |
Pelecyphora missouriensis, the Missouri foxtail cactus and formerly Coryphantha missouriensis, is a species of low-growing North American cacti.
Pelecyphora missouriensis grows up to 30 centimetres (12 in) high and forms clumps to 3.8–30 centimetres (1.5–11.8 in) or greater in diameter. They are generally larger in the Southwest. The plants are primarily unbranched, except eastern populations that can be profusely branched. The warts are elongated and up to 18 millimeters long. There are 10 to 20 spines that are bright white, pale gray, or pale tan, weathering to gray or yellowish brown. [4] The plant blooms in April to June, with flowers that are pale greenish yellow to yellow-green with midstripes of green or rose-pink to pale brown, flowers are 2.5 to 6.2 centimeters long and in diameter. The red fruits are 1 to 2 centimeters long. [4] [5]
Pelecyphora missouriensis has been extirpated from many of its historically known sites by introduced fire ants, suburban development, brush encroachment following fire suppression, and over-grazing. [4]
There are two recognized subspecies.
| Image | Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Pelecyphora missouriensis subsp. asperispina(Boed.) N.P.Taylor | Mexico (Coahuila de Zaragoza, Nuevo Leon) |
 | Pelecyphora missouriensis subsp. missouriensis | United States (Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming ) |
It is found in along the Missouri River in the tallgrass prairie and shortgrass Great Plains, from Texas to Montana and the Dakotas, and in the Rocky Mountains woodlands of Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), pinyon-juniper, and Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) west of it. It is also native to the Southwestern United States in Idaho, Kansas,Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah and Mexico in the states of Coahuila and Nuevo León. [4] [6] [7]
It was first described in 1818 by Thomas Nuttall as Cactus mammillaris. [8] The specific epithet missouriensis refers to the occurrence of the species near the Missouri River. However, this description was not valid (nom. illegal ICBN article 53.1), as the name was already given by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. [9] Robert Sweet named the species Mammillaria missouriensis in 1826. In 1978, the species was reclassified as Escobaria missouriensis by David Richard Hunt. David Aquino & Daniel Sánchez moved the species to Pelecyphora based on phylogenetic studies in 2022. [10] Further nomenclature synonyms are Cactus missouriensis (Sweet) Kuntze (1891), Mammillaria missouriensis Sweet ex K.Schum. (1898), Coryphantha missouriensis (Sweet) Britton & Rose (1913), Neobesseya missouriensis (Sweet) Britton & Rose (1923) and Neomammillaria missouriensis (Sweet) Britton & Rose ex Rydb. (1932).
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.
Pelecyphora, pincushion cactus or foxtail cactus is a genus of cacti, comprising 20 species.They originate from Mexico and the United States.
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.
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.
Matucana haynii is a species of Matucana found in Peru.
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 hesteri is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Texas, United States.
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 abdita is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the Mexico.
Pelecyphora robbinsiorum known by the common names Cochise pincushion cactus and Cochise foxtail cactus is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae.
Media related to Pelecyphora missouriensis at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Pelecyphora missouriensis at Wikispecies
