Pediocactus sileri

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Pediocactus sileri
Pediocactus sileri fh 0206 UT A.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
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Species:
P. sileri
Binomial name
Pediocactus sileri
Synonyms
  • Echinocactus sileri
  • Utahia sileri

Pediocactus sileri is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Siler's pincushion cactus and gypsum cactus (or gypsum plains cactus). It is native to southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona in the United States. It is limited to a specific type of soil, individuals are often spaced far apart, and the species is threatened by a number of human activities such as off-road vehicle use, poaching, and uranium mining. [1] This is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

Contents

Description

This cactus is egg-shaped or sometimes cylindrical in shape, and may have short branches. It is up to 25 centimeters tall by about 11 cm wide. The surface is bumpy with areoles which are covered in hairs or woolly fibers. Each areole has 3 to 7 main spines which are black to gray or white in color, those occurring near the base of the cactus body reaching up to 3 centimeters long. Each areole also has many smaller white spines 1 or 2 centimeters long. Spines around the base of the cactus may help to anchor it to the soil. The cactus flowers in April and May. The flower is up to 2 centimeters long by 3 cm wide and has white-margined brown outer tepals and purple-veined yellow inner tepals. The fruit is yellow-green in color and just over a centimeter long. [2]

Taxonomy

The names Pediocactus sileri and Sclerocactus sileri have a confused relationship in the literature. (Pediocactus at one time included Sclerocactus , although they are now thought not to be closely related.) [3] According to the treatment in the Flora of North America, [2] the taxon described here was first described as Echinocactus sileri in 1896 and transferred to Pediocactus sileri by L.D. Benson in 1961. [4] Quite separately, L.D. Benson (in 1969) named a variety sileri of Sclerocactus pubispinus, which was raised to a full species under the name Sclerocactus sileri by K.D. Heil and J.M. Porter in 1994. [5] The two taxa are treated as two separate species in the Flora of North America, which has entries for:

Mistakenly, Anderson (2001) describes only one species, under the name Sclerocactus sileri, treating Pediocactus sileri as a synonym. [7] His description largely matches the description of Pediocactus sileri in the Flora of North America, and he uses the same common names (gypsum cactus, Siler's pincushion cactus) although the distribution he gives ("a very restricted area in Coconino County, Arizona") corresponds to that of Sclerocactus sileri in the Flora of North America ("restricted to northeast Coconino County, Arizona"). [6]

Distribution and conservation

The cactus grows on sand and clay substrate that is part of the Moenkopi Formation, a geologic formation, especially the Schnabkaib Member of the formation. [8] The soils are rich in gypsum and salts. Habitat in the area includes desert scrub, woodlands, and grasslands. [1] Most of the land is under the stewardship of the Bureau of Land Management. [8] The plant's distribution covers parts of Coconino and Mohave Counties in Arizona and Washington and Kane Counties in Utah. [1] Though the current total population of the cactus is unknown and has not been estimated, there have been over 10,000 individuals documented over a territory measuring just over 34,000 acres (140 km2). [8]

Threats to this species include uranium exploration. As the price of uranium has increased recently, mining claims have also increased in number. [8] All occurrences of the cactus occur on land that has potential for uranium discovery. Plans for uranium mining have often been modified to avoid damage to the cactus, but the threat still exists. Petroleum exploration and gypsum mining are considered future threats in the area, but not current ones. Off-road vehicles are popular in the local landscape, and there are designated roads for such activity and areas that are closed to vehicles for the protection of the plant. Grazing of livestock is considered a threat, but a minor one. Natural threats include drought and predation by rodents and rabbits. [8]

Conservation activities include the establishment of the White Dome Nature Preserve in Utah, which protects land that is home to the cactus, as well as to the rare dwarf bear claw poppy (Arctomecon humilis) and animals such as the zebra-tailed lizard ( Callisaurus draconoides) and the loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pediocactus</i> Genus of cacti

Pediocactus is a genus of cacti. The genus comprises between 6 and 11 species, depending upon the authority. Species of this genus are referred to as hedgehog cacti, though that name is also applied to plants from the genera Echinocereus and Echinopsis. Species may also be referred to as pincushion cacti, a common name which is also applied to other genera.

<i>Sclerocactus</i> Genus of cacti

Sclerocactus is a genus of cacti. It comprises about 15 species, the exact number depending on the authority. These species are very xerophytic. They are sometimes called 'fishhook cactus' or 'little barrels.'

<i>Pediocactus winkleri</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus winkleri, commonly known as Winkler's cactus or Winkler's pincushion cactus, is a small cactus endemic to the state of Utah in the United States. It is known only from Emery and Wayne Counties.

<i>Sclerocactus polyancistrus</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus polyancistrus is a species of cactus known by several common names, including redspined fishhook cactus, Mojave fishhook cactus, pineapple cactus, and hermit cactus.

Escobaria robbinsiorum Species of cactus

Escobaria robbinsorum is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Cochise pincushion cactus and Cochise foxtail cactus. It is native to southern Arizona in the United States, where it is known only from Cochise County, and northern Sonora in Mexico. There are scattered small occurrences on the north side of the border, and one known population to the south. Because of its rarity and a number of threats to remaining plants, the species was federally listed with a threatened status in 1986.

<i>Echinomastus mariposensis</i> Species of cactus

Echinomastus mariposensis is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Lloyd's fishhook cactus, golfball cactus, silver column cactus, and Mariposa cactus. It is native to a small section of territory straddling the border between Brewster County, Texas, in the United States and the state of Coahuila in Mexico. It has been federally listed as a threatened species in the United States since 1979.

<i>Pediocactus bradyi</i> Species of endangered cactus

Pediocactus bradyi is a very rare species of cactus known by the common names Brady's pincushion cactus, Brady's hedgehog cactus, and Marble Canyon cactus. It is endemic to Arizona in the USA, where it is restricted to Marble Canyon in Coconino County, though its exact distribution is not generally advertised due to poaching concerns. It is limited to a specific type of soil, it has a small distribution, and the species is threatened by a number of human activities. This has been a federally listed endangered species of the United States since 1979.

<i>Pediocactus despainii</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus despainii is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Despain's cactus and San Rafael cactus. It is endemic to the state of Utah in the United States, where it is limited to the San Rafael Swell in Emery County, Utah.

<i>Pediocactus knowltonii</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus knowltonii is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Knowlton's miniature cactus, Knowlton's pincushion cactus, and Knowlton's minute cactus. It is endemic to San Juan County, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the smallest and rarest species in genus Pediocactus. It is threatened by a number of human activities. It is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<i>Pediocactus peeblesianus</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus peeblesianus is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Navajo pincushion cactus. It is endemic to the state of Arizona in the United States. One subspecies of the plant is federally listed as an endangered species of the U.S.

<i>Sclerocactus brevispinus</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus brevispinus is a rare species of cactus known by the common name Pariette cactus. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from the Pariette Draw, a draw in Duchesne County. It is threatened by a number of processes and human activities.

<i>Sclerocactus glaucus</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus glaucus is a rare species of cactus known by the common name Colorado hookless cactus. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is known only from the area between Grand Junction and Montrose. It is a federally listed threatened species.

<i>Sclerocactus wetlandicus</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus wetlandicus is a rare species of cactus known by the common name Uinta Basin hookless cactus. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from the Uinta Basin. It may also be called the Pariette cactus, but this name is more appropriate for Sclerocactus brevispinus, the species endemic to the Pariette Draw of Duchesne County.

<i>Sclerocactus wrightiae</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus wrightiae is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Wright's little barrel cactus and Wright's fishhook cactus.

<i>Townsendia aprica</i>

Townsendia aprica is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Last Chance Townsend daisy. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known from three counties. It faces a number of threats and it is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Sclerocactus papyracanthus</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus papyracanthus is a species of cactus known by the common names paperspine fishhook cactus, grama grass cactus, paper-spined cactus, and toumeya. It is native to North America, where it occurs from Arizona to New Mexico to Texas and into Chihuahua, Northeastern Mexico.

Echinomastus erectocentrus is a species of cactus known by the common names redspine fishhook cactus, redspine butterfly cactus, acuña cactus, needle-spine pineapple cactus, red pineapple cactus, and purple-spine viznagita. It is native to Arizona and New Mexico in the United States and Sonora in Mexico.

<i>Sclerocactus sileri</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus sileri, the Siler fishhook cactus, is a rare and very small cactus found mostly in mineral-rich desert areas of intermediate elevations, notably in the American states of Utah, Nevada, and northern Arizona.

Moneilema semipunctatum is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1852. It is known commonly as the cactus borer beetle. Beetles of genus Moneilema are known commonly as cactus longhorn beetles. It is native to North America, where it occurs in the western United States and Mexico.

<i>Coryphantha pycnacantha</i> Species of cactus

Coryphantha pycnacantha is a cactus species endemic to central Mexico.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pediocactus sileri, The Nature Conservancy , retrieved 2019-02-05
  2. 1 2 3 Heil, Kenneth D. & Porter, J. Mark, Pediocactus sileri , retrieved 2012-05-04, in Flora of North America Editorial Committee & 1982 onwards
  3. Heil, Kenneth D. & Porter, J. Mark, Sclerocactus , retrieved 2012-05-04, in Flora of North America Editorial Committee, ed. (1982), Flora of North America (online), eFloras.org
  4. Cactaceae Pediocactus sileri (Engelm. ex J.M.Coult.) L.D.Benson, The International Plant Names Index , retrieved 2012-05-04
  5. Cactaceae Sclerocactus sileri (L.D.Benson) K.D.Heil & J.M.Porter, The International Plant Names Index , retrieved 2012-05-04
  6. 1 2 Heil, Kenneth D. & Porter, J. Mark, Sclerocactus sileri , retrieved 2012-05-04, in Flora of North America Editorial Committee & 1982 onwards
  7. Anderson, Edward F. (2001), The Cactus Family, Pentland, Oregon: Timber Press, ISBN   978-0-88192-498-5 , p. 629
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 USFWS. Pediocactus sileri Five-year Review. November 2008.
  9. Kuzmanic, J. (May 5, 2011), The White Dome Nature Preserve: Protecting the Bear Claw Poppy and Siler Pincushion Cactus, St George Times, archived from the original on May 13, 2011, retrieved June 18, 2011