Misplaced Pages

Thelocactus leucacanthus

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Species of cactus

Thelocactus leucacanthus
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Thelocactus
Species: T. leucacanthus
Binomial name
Thelocactus leucacanthus
(Zuccarini ex Pfeiffer) Britton & Rose
Synonyms
List
    • Echinocactus leucacanthus Zucc. ex Pfeiff. 1837
    • Echinonyctanthus leucanthus (Zucc. ex Pfeiff.) Lem. 1839
    • Ferocactus leucacanthus (Zucc. ex Pfeiff.) N.P.Taylor 1979
    • Cereus maelenii Pfeiff. 1837
    • Cereus tuberosus Pfeiff. 1837
    • Echinocactus ehrenbergii Pfeiff. 1838
    • Echinocactus leucacanthus var. crassior Salm-Dyck 1850
    • Echinocactus leucacanthus var. tuberosus C.F.Först. 1846
    • Echinocactus maelenii Salm-Dyck ex C.F.Först. 1846
    • Echinocactus porrectus Lem. 1838
    • Echinocactus subporrectus Lem. 1838
    • Echinocactus tuberosus Salm-Dyck ex C.F.Först. 1846
    • Echinocactus tuberosus var. subporrectus C.F.Först. 1846
    • Mammillaria maelenii Salm-Dyck 1845
    • Thelocactus ehrenbergii (Pfeiff.) F.M.Knuth 1936
    • Thelocactus leucacanthus var. ehrenbergii (Pfeiff.) Bravo 1980
    • Thelocactus leucacanthus var. porrectus (Lem.) Backeb. 1961
    • Thelocactus leucacanthus var. sanchezmejoradae (J.Meyrán) Backeb. 1961
    • Thelocactus leucacanthus var. schmollii Werderm. 1939
    • Thelocactus leucacanthus subsp. schmollii (Werderm.) Mosco & Zanov. 1999
    • Thelocactus porrectus (Lem.) F.M.Knuth 1936
    • Thelocactus sanchezmejoradae J.Meyrán 1958

Thelocactus leucacanthus is a species of cactus. It is endemic to Mexico.

Description

Thelocactus leucacanthus grows in clusters or forms large multi-headed cushions up to 80 cm (31 in) wide. The yellowish-green, globular to short cylindrical plants reach 4.5 to 15 cm (1.8 to 5.9 in) in height and 2.5 to 5 cm (0.98 to 1.97 in) in diameter. The plant has 7 to 14 tuberous ribs running vertically or spirally, with conical cusps up to 1.1 cm (0.43 in) high, 1.4 cm (0.55 in) wide, and 0.8 cm (0.31 in) long. The areoles, up to 6 mm (0.24 in) long and 3 mm (0.12 in) wide, have extrafloral nectaries. Occasionally, a single central spine, yellowish-white to nearly black, grows up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long, with 6 to 20 radial spines that are 7 mm (0.28 in) long and straight or slightly curved. The yellow, purple, or crimson flowers reach up to 5.2 cm (2.0 in) long and 4.5 cm (1.8 in) in diameter. The green to yellowish fruits grow up to 9 mm (0.35 in) long and 8 mm (0.31 in) wide, drying and cracking at the base when ripe. They contain seeds up to 2 mm (0.079 in) long and 1.8 mm (0.071 in) wide, with polygonal or square testa cells.

  • Plant with bloom Plant with bloom
  • Purple flower form Purple flower form

Distribution

This species grows at elevations of 1200 to 1900 meters in the succulent bush forests of Hidalgo and Querétaro, Mexico. Plants are found growing along with Thelocactus hastifer.

  • Habitat in Pena Blanca, Queretaro Habitat in Pena Blanca, Queretaro

Taxonomy

First described as Echinocactus leucacanthus by Ludwig Karl Georg Pfeiffer in 1837, it was reclassified as Thelocactus leucacanthus by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose in 1923. Its name is derived from the Greek words leukos ("white") and akanthos ("thorn").

References

  1. Gómez-Hinostrosa, C.; Sánchez, E.; Guadalupe Martínez, J.; Bárcenas Luna, R. (2017). "Thelocactus leucacanthus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T152346A121588933. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T152346A121588933.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Anderson, Edward F. (2011). Das große Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. p. 623. ISBN 978-3-8001-5964-2.
  3. Art, Cactus (2013-08-04). "Thelocactus leucacanthus". LLIFLE. Retrieved 2024-09-15. This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
  4. Pfeiffer, Louis (1837). Enumeratio diagnostica cactearum hucusque cognitarum. Berolini: L. Oehmigke. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.15207.
  5. 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.

External links

Taxon identifiers
Thelocactus leucacanthus
Echinocactus leucacanthus
Categories: