''Blossfeldia'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
(family Cactaceae) containing only one species, ''Blossfeldia liliputiana'',
[ native to ]South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
in northwestern Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
[ (]Jujuy
San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in Argentine Northwest, northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Depa ...
,Salta
Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
, Tucumán, Catamarca and Mendoza Provinces)Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
[ ( Santa Cruz and ]Potosí
Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...
Departments).Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
, typically growing in rock crevices,[ and often close to ]waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
s.
It is of note as the smallest cactus species in the world, with a mature size of around 10–12 mm diameter. The flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s are white or rarely pink, 6–15 mm long and 5–7 mm diameter.[
The genus ''Blossfeldia'' has been divided into many separate species; however most morphological evidence supports that the genus is monotypic, and contains only ''Blossfeldia liliputiana''.]
Taxonomy
The genus and species were first described in 1937 by Erich Werdermann
Erich Werdermann (2 March 1892 – 20 April 1959) was a German botanist.
Born in Berlin, Erich Werdermann was the son of the landowner Carl Werdermann. He first studied in Jena, but then switched to Friedrich Wilhelm University (now called ...
after being discovered in northern Argentina by Harry Blossfeld
Harry may refer to:
TV shows
* ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin
* ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons
* ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
and Oreste Marsoner
''Oreste'' ("Orestes", HWV A11, HG 48/102) is an opera by George Frideric Handel in three acts. The libretto was anonymously adapted from Giangualberto Barlocci’s ''L’Oreste'' (1723, Rome), which was in turn adapted from Euripides' ''Iph ...
.[ ''Blossfeldia liliputiana'' has several features making it unique among cacti, including a very small number of ]stoma
In botany, a stoma (from Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth", plural "stomata"), also called a stomate (plural "stomates"), is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange. The pore is bor ...
ta, the absence of a thickened cuticle, and hairy seeds with an aril
An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...
. It is placed in the subfamily Cactoideae, and traditionally in the tribe Notocacteae
Notocacteae is a tribe of cactus, cacti belonging to the subfamily Cactoideae. It is one of the oldest cactus lineages endemic to South America.
Genera
References
Notocacteae,
Caryophyllales tribes
{{Cactus-stub ...
.[ However, ]molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
studies have repeatedly shown that it is sister to the remaining members of the subfamily, and well removed from other genera placed in the Notocacteae:[
Recognizing the position of ''Blossfeldia'', Nyffeler and Eggli, in their 2010 classification of Cactaceae, placed it in a separate tribe, Blossfeldieae, within Cactoideae.][ Earlier, ''Blossfeldia'' was considered as a distinct genus within the tribe Notocacteae;][ it had even been placed in an entirely separate subfamily, Blossfeldioideae.][
]
References
Bibliography
* Buxbaum F., "Gattung Blossfeldia", in Krainz H., ''Die Kakteen'', 1.11.1964
* Fechser H., "''Blossfeldia liliputana'' - The Tiniest Cactus", ''Cact. Succ. J. (US)'', 32 : 123-125, 1960
* John V., "''Strombocactus'', ''Blossfeldia'' a ''Aztekium''", ''Kaktusy'', 23 : 38-41, 1987
* Kilian G., "Beitrag zur Blossfeldia-Kultur", ''Kakt. und and. Succ.'', 13 : 82-83, 1962
* Köhler U., "Beobachtungen an Blossfeldien", ''Kakt. und and. Succ.'', 17 : 11-14, 1966;
* "''Blossfeldia'' heute", ''Kakt. und and. Sukk.'', 32 : 132133, 1981
* Říha J., "''Blossfeldia liliputana'' Werdermann, ''Kaktusy'', 22 : 105-107, 1986
*
*
*http://llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/5701/Blossfeldia_liliputana
External links
Mauseth cacti research: ''Blossfeldia liliputana''Cacti Guide: ''Blossfeldia liliputana''
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q635852, from2=Q137117, from3=Q13521850
Cactoideae
Monotypic Cactaceae genera
Cacti of South America