Description of Turbinicarpus lophophoroides var. jauernigii

T. lophophoroides var. jauernigii [Click the image for more pictures]

Photo © Mark Faint

Gerhardt Frank, Succulenta Vol. 72:3, 113-115, 1993

An English translation of the first description, including plant and seed photographs and comments etc., can be found on the Succulenta homepage.

Bodies flat globular, to 25 mm in diameter and l0 mm high, merging into a tuberous root of 15 mm in diameter and up to 30 mm length. Body divided into wide tubercles. Epidermis with a fine grey floccose covering. Areoles oval, in the new growth covered with long white, silky hairs, later becoming bare. Only a single spine, arising from the lower part of the areole, erect and curving slightly towards the apex, at the base greyish horn coloured, becoming darker towards the tip, 5 - 8 mm long, oval in cross-section, rough. Seedlings and young plants have 7 - 10 white radial spines, in a star-shaped arrangement, 3 - 5 mm long, which disappear later, so that the mature plant only has the erect central spine. Flowers arising from apical areoles, wide funnel-shaped, 15 x 25 mm. Sepals narrow lanceolate, light tan, with dark brown mid-stripe and small point at the end. Petals dirty white to pale brownish, lanceolate, ending with a thin tip and with pale brown mid-stripe. Filaments white, anthers yellow. Style reddish with 4 porrect white stigma lobes, with papillose edges. Seeds oblong, 1,2 x 0,7 mm, micropyle large, round, with wide over hanging lip. Testa black, with covering of round tuberculate cells, which become smaller nearer the micropyle. Testa cells heavily folded.

Locality: Las Palomas, San Luis Potosi, México.

Notes

Battaia and Zanovello, in Piante Grasse, 15(3): 81, 1995, have reduced this taxa to a variety of lophophoroides. This relationship seems questionable in my view and is probably closer to the klinkerianus aggregate of taxa.

Clarke Brunt has some habitat photos of this taxon on his Mexican homepage.

Related taxa

Turbinicarpus lophophoroides var. jauernigii is part of the lophophoroides aggregate of taxa together with the following:

References

Succulenta Vol. 72:3, 113-115, 1993

Site Created By: Mark Faint Maintained With: HTML-Kit HTML Checked By: Weblint, HTMLCheck, NSGMLS & SP Wizard Last Modified: 10th November 2000 Comment (Email): Webmaster@mfaint.demon.co.uk Comment (Form): Fill out a form