Description of Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele ssp. krainzianus fa. lausseri

T. pseudomacrochele ssp. krainzianus fa. lausseri [Click the image for more pictures]
Photo © Mark Faint
Lothar Diers and Gerhardt Frank, KuaS 42(5):106-107, 1991

Body mostly solitary, flattened spherical, to ca. 18 mm high, to 26 mm wide, dark green, on top of single, up to 8 cm long, tuberous root; more rarely several heads on a wide tuberous root, ribs spiralling, divided into 5-6 mm high, ± narrow ± conical tubercles. Areoles in new growth with white wool, later becoming bare. Only Radial spines, 8-12; in the lower body ± radiating standing off, 2-4 mm long, the 4 upper frequently longer; all spines pointing towards the apex, ca. 20-25 mm long, below whitish, tips dark brownish-black; intertwined over the apex. All spines thin, bristle-like, at the base slightly oval in cross-section, maximum to 0.3 mm wide. Flowers from the areoles at the apex, short funnel-shaped, 20-25 mm long, ca. 25 mm wide. Cauline zone with fine, white curled hair. Pericarpel greenish, ± oval, to 4 mm long and ca. 3 mm wide, without or occasionally with up to 3 small scales. Receptacle narrowing above the pericarpel; Receptacle ca. 7-8 mm long, above to ca. 7-8 mm wide, with some ± oval to wide and blunt lanceolate, greenish to light brownish scales. Transitional perianth segments ± oval, light reddish-brown with darker mid-stripe, ending with a fine, darker tip. Outer perianth segments ± oval-blunt lanceolate, inner perianth segment ± wide lanceolate, pale to rich crimson, with darker wide mid-stripe, occasionally white edged in the upper and middle parts. Stamens ca. 80-100, filaments white, anthers yellow; the uppermost stamens inserted at the base of the inner perianth segments, nectar chamber around 1 mm high, at the top expanding funnel-shaped; Nectar glands slightly underneath the base of the primary stamens, Style white, around 8-10 mm long, with up to 5 white, ca. 2 mm long, somewhat flattened stigma lobes, Ovary hollow ± cup-shaped, 2-2.2 mm long, above 1.2-1.3 mm wide, clearly becoming narrower below, contains up to 6 well developed, ca. 0.4-0.5 mm long ovules. Fruit with dried up flower remains, without scales, occasionally with up to 3 ± oval small scales; first of all green, at maturity becoming dark brown, oval-spherical, ca. 5 mm long, ca. 3-4 mm wide, opening vertically, seeds ± pear-to cap shaped, ca. 1.4-1.7 mm long, ca. 0.9-1.1 mm wide, ca. 0.8-0.9 mm thick; Testa black-dark brown, shiny, with clearly bulging tubercles, which flatten greatly towards the hilum, Hilum-area basal, ± circular to oval, mostly deeply sunken, Micropyle region small ± on or at the edge of the wide, inwards curved hilum edge.

Locality: Sierra del Doctor, Querétaro and Hidalgo, México.

Notes

This taxa is either closely related or identical with T. pseudomacrochele var. sphacellatus.

Related taxa

Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele ssp. krainzianus fa. lausseri is part of the pseudomacrochele aggregate of taxa, together with the following:

References

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