Description of Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus ssp. klinkerianus fa. schwarzii

T. schmiedickeanus ssp. klinkerianus fa. schwarzii [Click the image for more pictures]

Photo © Mark Faint

Shurly, CSJ(GB), 10(4):93, 1948

Latin: Planta simplex; radix maxime evoluta. Corpus depresse semi-globosus, turbinatus; tubercula subapplanata, rhomboidea, quadrangula, latice aquoso, axillae nudae; spiris 5 et 8 spinae sive 1 sive 2 antica brevis, postica elongata, vertice plantae tantum evolutae; areolae ovatae, setis sericeis copioso-indutae, vertice plantae tantum evolutae. Flores albi, prope medium plantae verticem ex areolis proxime ante spinas exorientes.

Plants simple, small, 35 mm wide, 20 mm high including spines, with a further 30 mm underground, brown in colour; depressed semi-globose; turbinate. Tubercles diamond shaped, broad and stumpy, four-angled, spirals 5 and 8, chartaceous in age, pale green with minute dots of short white hairs, like down, watery sap; bearing 1-2 yellowish brown or whitish, horn coloured spines; when 2, one 4-5 mm long in forward part of areole, second in rear of areole up to 20 mm long; spines bunched at growing point in the centre of the top of the plant, decreasing in size and in age completely disappear. Axils bare. Areoles oval, bushy with long white, silky hairs, at top of plant round growing point, quickly disappear. Roots tap formation, nearly shaped like a drawn molar tooth, with mass of fibrous roots. Flowers July to September, usually in pairs, sometimes one appears before the other. Sited near the centre of the top of the plant from areoles and immediately in front of the spines, 30 mm long, 40 mm wide, short tubed, rotate-campanulate enclosed ovary 4 mm long, scaled, greenish with red brownish specks; sepals 6, in three series, (1) two 8 mm long, 2 mm wide, lanceolate, margins entire, reddish brown with narrow greenish white margins, (2) two 14 mm long, 5 mm wide as (1), but margins wider and whiter, pale green halo round red brown and "winged" by jutting piece on each side with occasional tooth on margin, (3) two as (2), 20 mm long, 8 mm wide, with margins much wider and green not so evident. Petals in three series, (1) three, 27 mm long, 7 mm wide, linear tapering to round apex, margins entire, white with red mid-rib with faint green halo, (2) five as (1), but mid-rib thin and green halo fainter and apex somewhat attenuate, (3) eight 27 mm long, 7 mm wide, as (2), but entirely white with occasional faint trace of a very thin mid-rib. Filaments numerous, thin, pale greenish white lower half, faint purple upper half. Anthers faint purple, pollen orange, oval to linear, slightly fluffy. Style 20 mm long, faint purple. Stigma 5-6, long narrow linear, spreading, white, pubescence fluffy and white, with very thin, faint purple line dorsally. Fruit and seed unknown.

Discovered by Fritz Schwarz and named, at his request, in his honour. The species grows in the eastern part of the state of San Luis Potosi, México, in heavy black earth among small green plants or grass and mostly under shrubs. In their natural habitat, they grow up to 4 cm in diameter. The plants need to be kept fairly dry.

Type plant deposited with the Herbarium, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.

Notes

For a long time it was thought that T. macrochele var. polaskii was a synonym of this taxa, even though they look completely different and come from quite distant localities. The easiest ways to distinguish between them are schwarzii has a pale green epidermis, angled tubercles and white stigma, whereas polaskii has a brownish epidermis, flat, rounded tubercles (it looks like the plant has been inflated with a bicycle pump !) and pink stigma.

The dimensions given for the size of the flower are too large. In my experience each dimension needs to be reduced by at least 10 mm.

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

Related taxa

Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus ssp. klinkerianus fa. schwarzii is part of the klinkerianus aggregate of taxa, together with the following:

References

Rod Turbinicarpus by M. Zachar, R. Staník, A. Lux, I. Dráb

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