Ortegocactus
Ortegocactus macdougallii in culture
Ortegocactus macdougallii is the only species of the monotypic genus Ortegocactus in the cactus family ( Cactaceae ). The botanical name of the genus honors the family Ortega from the village of San José Lachigurí that helped in the discovery of the plant. The specific epithet honors Thomas Baillie MacDougall (1895-1973), the discoverer of the Art
Description
Ortegocactus macdougallii forming loose cushions. The spherical to short cylindrical shoots are pale gray-green and have a diameter of 3 to 4 centimeters. The spirally arranged warts are low, somewhat flattened, rhomboid spotted and tiny. The areoles are at the top of woolly, have thorns and are sometimes furrowed. The black -to-white, erect central spine has a dark tip and is 4 to 5 millimeters long. The 7-8 radial spines are whitish with dark tips and have a length of 5 to 10 millimeters.
The yellow, funnel-shaped flowers appear from the axils. They open on the day, are 2 to 3 inches long and have a diameter of 1.8 to 2.5 centimeters. The flower cups is wooly, but has no scales.
The dull red, dry when ripe fruits are spherical extended to something and have a perennial flower rest. They contain almost spherical, black to brown, dotted seeds.
Distribution, systematics and hazard
Ortegocactus macdougallii is common in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, where it grows on limestone cliffs. The species was found in winter 1951/52, by Thomas Baillie MacDougall ( 1895-1973 ) near the village of San José Lachiguiri. The first description of the genus and its single species was carried out in 1961 by Edward Alexander Johnston.
In the Red List of Threatened Species IUCN is the species as "Data Deficient ( DD)", ie out with no sufficient data.