Description of Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele var. sphacellatus

T. pseudomacrochele var. sphacellatus [Click the image for more pictures]
Photo © Mark Faint
Lothar Diers and Gerhardt Frank, KuaS, 44(8):158-159, 1993 nomen invalidium ICBN Art 37.3

Body solitary, in age mostly offsetting; ± spherical to slightly cylindrical in age; to 4 cm high, to 4 cm wide; ± short tuberous root. Ribs indistinct, divided into plump and broad or ± high and narrow tubercles; Areoles first of all with white wool, then becoming bare. Spines 6-8, to 2.5 cm long, at the apex light brownish to whitish-yellow, partly with darker, however never black, tips, later becoming grey; thin, bristle-like, often tangled and bent, in age fully covering the apex. Areoles in seedlings and young offsets clearly elongated with ca. 14-17 pectinate, white, short spines. Flowers often in several bursts per year, from areoles at the apex, ± short funnel-shaped, at full anthesis around 3-4.5 cm wide. Pericarpel ± cup-shaped to obovate, around 2.5-3.5 mm long, to around 2-2.5 mm wide; occasionally with 1, rarely 2 small scales; a slight constriction between the pericarpel and receptacle. Receptacle around 5-6 mm high; below around 3 mm, above 5-7 mm wide; Scales 7-11, ± stout, 1-7 mm long, around 0.5-2.5 mm wide; wide linear to slightly oval, top well-rounded to slightly pointed; olive-brownish to pale pink with washed out reddish-brownish mid-stripe. Transitional perianth segments ± wide linear-obovate, well-rounded - slightly pointed, pale pink with darker, purple-pink mid-stripe. Outer perianth segments 12-18 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, long oval-long obovate-wide linear to ± lanceolate, white with ca. 1 mm wide, purple-pink mid-stripe. Middle perianth segments, like the outer, more lanceolate, purple-pink mid-stripe wider. Inner perianth segments like the middle, ca. 1-3 mm shorter, purple-pink mid-stripe often broader (to 2-2.5 mm). Altogether 15-20 perianth segments. Stamens 60-100, filaments whitish-pale pink; anthers intense yellow. Style ca. 1-1.2 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm thick, thickening towards the top, pale pink, below whitish. Stigma whitish, divided into 4-5 lobes, lobes flattened, ca. 0.6-0.7 mm wide, ca. 1.2-1.4 mm long, somewhat sharpened, papillose; at full anthesis lobes occasionally curved downwards. Ovary hollow ± long oval, 2-2.5 mm high, ca. 1-1.3 mm wide, contains 20-30, ca. 0.4-0.5 mm long ovules. Fruit ± oval, ca. 5-6 mm high, around 3-4 mm wide, first of all greenish, ultimately olive-brownish, opening lengthways, with ca. 20-30 seeds. Seeds mostly ± curved, pear- to cap shaped, ca. 1.3-1.5 mm long, ca. 0.8-1.2 mm wide. Testa shiny, black-dark brown, with clearly raised tubercles, these flattening towards the hilum area; without cuticular folding pattern; Hilum area ± basal, mostly ± irregularly oval, deeply sunken; Micropyle region small, mostly curved towards the inner edge of the hilum edge.

Locality: Unknown

Notes

This taxa is either closely related to or identical with T. pseudomacrochele ssp. krainzianus fa. lausseri.

Related taxa

Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele var. sphacellatus is part of the pseudomacrochele aggregate of taxa, together with the following:

References

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