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Coryphantha clavata var. ancistracantha (Lem.) Heinrich ex Backeb.

Family: CACTACEAE · Variety or form of Coryphantha clavata

Publication: Cactaceae (Backeberg) 5: 2995. 1961

Description

Coryphantha ancistracantha is a solitary cactus species with very large root and long hooked spines. It is generally included within (as a synonym of) Coryphantha clavata subs. stipitata, suggesting that there is not really a fundamental difference between the two, and hard to name accurately without knowing where they come from.

Coryphantha clavata subs. stipitata displays 1 (seldom - 4) central spines always with a hooked tip. The flowers are nearly white and slightly larger (30-35 mm diameter) than in ssp. clavata. All the other characteristics are identical to ssp. clavata.

Taxonomic notes: Coryphantha clavata subs. stipitata was first described by Scheidwwiler (1838) as Mammillaria stipitata, one year later by Lemaire as Mammillaria raphidacantha and also as Mammillaria ancistracantha. The distribution areas of ssp. clavata and of ssp. stipitata are always disjunct, they occur nowhere together.

Stem: Simple, elongated to club shaped, cylindrical, 10 to 15 cm tall, dark bluish green.

Tubercles: In rows of 5-8, and 13, conical, grooved above, the axils when young bearing short white wool; glands in the groove.one to several, large, red.

Radial spines: 6 to 12, with reddish or black tips.

Central spine: 1 (rarely 4) , somewhat longer than radials, straight or curved (subsp. clavata) or hooked (subsp. stipitata).

Flowers: Small for the genus, about 20-30 m in diameter (subsp. clavata) or 35-40 mm in diameter (subsp. stipitata); outer perianth-segments linear, acute, entire, with broad brownish midrib; inner perianth-segments linear, entire, narrow, creamy white; stamens pinkish, much shorter than the perianth-segments; style pinkish; stigma-lobes 5 or 6, short, greenish.

Origin and Habitat

Zacatecas, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi and Jalisco, mainly around Lagos de Moreno

Habitat and ecology: On lower slopes of volcanic hills under bushes, agaves and hechtias.

Bibliography

Major references and further lectures

  1. Reto Dicht, Adrian Lüthy “Coryphantha: Cacti of Mexico and Southern USA” Springer Science & Business Media, 14 mar 2006

  2. Nathaniel Lord Britton, Joseph Nelson Rose “Cactaceae: Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family” vol. 4 The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1923