Description of Pelecyphora plumosa (Syn. T. valdezianus)

Body simple and rarely offsetting, spherical or later becoming, 10 to at most 25 mm in diameter, with watery juice and oblong, robust tuberous root. Apex somewhat sunken, without wool, however covered by the tubercles and their spines. Tubercles arranged in 8 and 13 series, according to the age and size of the plant more or less loose-packed, erect, matt blue-green, about 3 mm long, at the base square to rhombic and here 3 mm in diameter, tapering to the tip and here at the side somewhat flattened, areole woolly, small, circular or oval, with about 30 pectinate, spines. These are about 1½ - 2 mm long, very thin and hair-like, white, horizontal to somewhat spread back, more or less tortuous and all short, but clearly plumose. Axil bald.

Flowers to 1-3 from the apex, already appearing in only 10 mm Ø plants, emerging from a small dense patch of wool above the spination, 18-20 mm long and wide funnel-shaped. Ovaries globular- to oval, below with thin peduncle; to 5 mm in diameter (therefore larger than the tubercles), towering completely over the plant and easily knocked off, lustrous dark green and bare. Tube very short and the top with few, entire sepals, the lower triangular and dark green with white edge, upper oblong, twice as long as wide and likewise dark green and white edged. Outer petals oblong, sharp edged, moderately pointed, about 12 mm long and 4 mm wide, purplish-red with whitish edge. Inner petals linear lanceolate, moderately pointed, without a sharp tip and hardly narrower and shorter than the previous, sharp edged, purplish-pink with fine, somewhat darker mid-stripe and often lighter edge. Filaments numerous and pink with golden yellow anthers, which are towered over by the red style with about 6 greenish yellow stigma lobes.

Fruit when mature lustrous reddish brown to blackish, spherical, with flower remains. Seeds good 1 mm large, pear shaped, dull, black, very finely tuberculate.

Locality Mexico, near Saltillo in the state Coahuila.

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