Pelecyphora tuberculosa

Pelecyphora tuberculosa
In bloom
Botanical illustration
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Pelecyphora
Species:	P. tuberculosa
Binomial name
Pelecyphora tuberculosa (Engelm.) D.Aquino & Dan.Sánchez
Range
Synonyms [2]
List Cactus tuberculosus(Engelm.) Kuntze Coryphantha dasyacantha var. varicolor(Tiegel) L.D.Benson Coryphantha strobiliformis var. durispina(Quehl) L.D.Benson Coryphantha tuberculosa(Engelm.) Orcutt Coryphantha tuberculosa var. varicolor(Tiegel) A.D.Zimmerman Coryphantha varicolorTiegel Escobaria dasyacantha var. varicolor(Tiegel) D.R.Hunt Escobaria strobiliformis var. durispina(Quehl) Bravo Escobaria strobiliformis subsp. sisperaiHalda & Sladk. Escobaria tuberculosa(Engelm.) Britton & Rose Escobaria tuberculosa var. durispina(Quehl) Børgesen Escobaria tuberculosa var. pubescens(Quehl) Y.Itô Escobaria tuberculosa subsp. varicolor(Tiegel) Lüthy Escobaria tuberculosa var. varicolor(Tiegel) S.Brack & K.D.Heil Mammillaria strobiliformis f. durispina(Quehl) Schelle Mammillaria strobiliformis var. durispinaQuehl Mammillaria strobiliformis var. pubescensQuehl Mammillaria strobiliformis f. pubescens(Quehl) Schelle Mammillaria strobiliformis var. rufispinaQuehl Mammillaria strobiliformis f. rufispina(Quehl) Schelle Mammillaria tuberculosaEngelm.

Pelecyphora tuberculosa (syn. Escobaria tuberculosa), the corncob cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the south-central United States, and northern Mexico. ^{[1] [2]}

Description

Escobaria tuberculosa grows singly or in groups and is very variable. The cylindrical to egg-shaped shoots reach heights of 5 to 12 centimeters with diameters of 2.5 to 7 centimeters. The warts, up to 10 millimeters long, become hard and persistent. The four to eight yellow, straight central spines have a pink or red tip and are 1 to 2 centimeters long. In the middle one of them is stronger. The approximately 20 to 30 yellow, white or gray marginal spines are straight and spread out. They are up to 1.2 centimeters long.

The fragrant flowers are pink and open wide. They are 2 to 3 centimeters long and reach the same diameter. The elongated fruits are usually red and 1.2 to 2 centimeters long. ^[3]

• 
  In eastern Bishops Cap Hills, Doña Ana County, New Mexico

Distribution

Escobaria tuberculosa is fairly widespread in the United States in the states of New Mexico and Texas, as well as in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila and Nuevo León. It is only found growing on igneous rocks. ^[4]

Taxonomy

The first description as Mammillaria tuberculosa by George Engelmann was published in 1856. ^[5] The specific epithet tuberculosa comes from Latin, means 'humpy', and refers to the bumpy shoots of the species. Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose placed the species in the genus Escobaria in 1923. ^[6] Nomenclatural synonyms include Coryphantha tuberculosa (Engelm.) Orcutt (1922) and Coryphantha tuberculosa (Engelm.) A.Berger (1929).

References

1. Terry, M.; Heil, K.; Corral-Díaz, R. (2017) [amended version of 2013 assessment]. "Corncob Cactus Escobaria tuberculosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017 e.T151721A121505261. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T151721A121505261.en . Retrieved 23 March 2023.
2. "Escobaria tuberculosa (Engelm.) Britton & Rose". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 23 March 2023.
3. Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. pp. 276–277. ISBN   3-8001-4573-1.
4. Lüthy, Jonas (2010). "Some Cacti of "Adjacent Mexico"". Cactus and Succulent Journal. 82 (3): 108–115. doi:10.2985/015.082.0304. S2CID   86519969.
5. Arts, American Academy of (1852). "Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences". Metcalf and Co. ISSN   0199-9818 . Retrieved 23 November 2023.
6. Britton, Nathaniel Lord; Eaton, Mary E.; Rose, J. N.; Wood, Helen Adelaide (1919). The Cactaceae: descriptions and illustrations of plants of the cactus family. Washington: Carnegie Institution of Washington. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.46288.