Echinocactus
Echinocactus is a genus of flowering plants of the cactus family ( Cactaceae ). The botanical name of the genus derives from the Latin words for echinus, hedgehogs ' and cactus to cactus ' from. He refers to the spherical instincts and their spines. The best-known species of the genus is the so-called " mother- chair " ( Echinocactus grusonii ).
Description
The body of Echinocactus plants is spherical, somewhat flattened in some species or short - cylindrical. The plants can be individually or mehrköpfig, but they are always ripped and hartfleischig. Echinocactus carries on the vertex yellowish wool hair, so the species is easily distinguished from the other in the same region occurring " hairless " species of the genus Ferocactus. The large areolae are elongated in some species a Areole immediately goes to the next. Sit strong spines at the areoles. The flowers are usually yellow, rarely reddish, and appear in the apex of the plant. On the Perikarpell and the flower tube sit narrow, pointed scales and woolly areoles. The spherical or slightly elongated fruits are covered with scales and wool.
Distribution and systematics
The genus Echinocactus comes from the arid regions of the southern United States prior to Central Mexico. Echinocactus is there dominates the landscape with its large ball cacti.
The genus was erected in 1827 by Heinrich Friedrich Link and Christoph Friedrich Otto. The type species is Echinocactus platyacanthus. In the 19th century almost all ribbed ball cacti and some ribbed columnar cacti were performed under Echinocactus. In Karl Moritz Schumann's Complete description of cacti 138 North and South American species were grouped in 11 subgenera. Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose listed her four-volume work, The Cactaceae exclusively North American cacti of the genus. Today six species of the genus Echinocactus be expected, in two of these subspecies are distinguished:
- Echinocactus grusonii
- Echinocactus horizonthalonius Echinocactus horizonthalonius var horizonthalonius
- Echinocactus horizonthalonius var nicholii
- Echinocactus polycephalus subsp. polycephalus
- Echinocactus polycephalus subsp. xeranthemoides
Synonyms of the genus are Echinofossulocactus Lawr. , Homalocephala Britton & Rose, Emorycactus Doweld and Meyerocactus Doweld.