Sclerocactus brevispinus

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Sclerocactus brevispinus
Sclerocactus brevispinus.jpg
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Sclerocactus
Species:
S. brevispinus
Binomial name
Sclerocactus brevispinus
K.D.Heil & J.M.Porter

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.

Contents

Description

This cactus has a somewhat oval, flattened spherical, or short cylindrical shape, a green color, and a waxy texture. There are up to 13 radial spines on each of its areoles, and sometimes one to three central spines. The spines may be straight, angled, or hooked, and are straw or brownish in color with purple or red highlights. They are up to no more than about 0.3 to 0.4 centimeters in length. The bell-shaped flower is two to four centimeters long and has green or pink outer tepals and pink inner tepals. The stamens have white or pink filaments and yellow anthers. The fruit is green, tan, or pink-tinged and is 1.5 centimeters in maximum length. [3]

Distribution

This plant grows on the clay badlands of the Pariette Draw, where the soil is quite saline and alkaline. It grows on hills and flats in sagebrush. Other plants in the area include Sclerocactus wetlandicus , the other species that was separated from S. glaucus. [1] Most of the population occurs on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the Ute tribe. [4]

Taxonomy

This plant is federally listed as a threatened species of the United States. Until 1994 it was included under the description of Sclerocactus glaucus , a threatened cactus. When it was separated and elevated to species status it retained the threatened designation. A proposal to uplist it to endangered status is pending. [5] Sources vary in whether they recognize the separation from S. glaucus; Anderson (2001) does not. [6]

Threats to the species include damage to the habitat during hydrocarbon exploration, poaching, and genetic swamping from the related and more common S. wetlandicus. [1]

Related Research Articles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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<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.

<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. 1 2 3 Sclerocactus brevispinus. The Nature Conservancy.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Sclerocactus brevispinus. Flora of North America.
  4. USFWS. Pariette Cactus. Species Profiles.
  5. USFWS. 12-month Finding on a Petition To List Sclerocactus brevispinus (Pariette cactus) as an Endangered or Threatened Species; Taxonomic Change From Sclerocactus glaucus to Sclerocactus brevispinus, S. glaucus, and S. wetlandicus. Federal Register September 18, 2007.
  6. Anderson, Edward F. (2001). The Cactus Family. Pentland, Oregon: Timber Press. ISBN   978-0-88192-498-5. p. 626