Description of Turbinicarpus x mombergeri

Photo © Mark Faint

Translated from the Latin
Body semi-globose, juveniles for the most part oblong to cylindrical, apex sunken, to 50 mm wide ca. 40-50 mm long. Roots fibrous, fleshy, brown. Ribs divided into tubercles ca. 3-5 mm high, 5 mm long and 4 mm wide, base for the most part square, top axe-shaped, attenuata spilaliter dissolutae. Epidermis greyish green, matt. Areoles elliptical, 2-3 mm long and 0.8-1.0 mm wide, initially covered with white wool, then glabrous to almost glabrous, reddish to brownish. Spines for the most part only lateral, juvenile 8 or more, ca. 34 mm long, not pungent, hyaline-whitish, in adults up to 2 centrals, chalky-white, pale yellow, to brownish, ca. 0.1 mm thick and ca. 5-9 mm long. Flower funnel-shaped to 35 mm large. Perianth segments long lanceolate, ca. 2-3 mm wide, lanceolate, outside cream-white, with brown mid-stripe ca. 12-22 mm long, to 3 mm wide, inside white to pale pink ca. 25 mm long and 4 mm wide, with a brownish mid-stripe, entire, acute. Fruit uniformly ca. 6-7 mm large at maturity, dehiscing longitudinally, drying out. Seeds ca. 1 mm large, testa verrucose, black, dull, hilum whitish.

Locality: Cerritos, San Luis Potosi, México.

Notes

This plant is a naturally occurring hybrid between T. laui and T. pseudopectinatus found where the distributions of these two species meet. Due to this hybrid nature, there will be greater variation between different specimens than in pure species.

References

• Kaktusy 32(2): 54-58, 1996

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