''Melocactus lemairei'' is a species 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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

island of

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

(split between the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

and

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

). It is named after

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

botanist and cactus expert

Charles Antoine Lemaire Charles Antoine Lemaire (1 November 1800, in Paris – 22 June 1871, in Paris), was a French botanist and botanical author, noted for his publications on Cactaceae. Education Born the son of Antoine Charles Lemaire and Marie Jeanne Davio, he ha ...

.Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: ''Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names''. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010, , S. 135.

Taxonomy

''Melocactus lemairei'' was described by M. Chevalier de Monville,

, and

Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (24 October 1811 – 23 January 1871) was a Dutch botanist, whose main focus of study was on the flora of the Dutch East Indies. Early life Miquel was born in Neuenhaus and studied medicine at the University of Groni ...

, and published in L'Horticulteur Universel.

Description

''Melocactus lemairei'' is a cylindrical or slightly pyramid-shaped green

that can grow up to 20 cm (8 inches) in height, and 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) in diameter. It has between 9 and 10 ribs with 8 to 10 spines each. These spines are yellow to brown in color, and can reach anywhere from 2 to 3 cm (1 inch) in length. The

cephalium Cephalium is a frequently brightly coloured structure of wool and bristle at the growing tip of certain cacti. It is most commonly found on cacti of the genus ''Melocactus'' and can take a number of colours, forms and shapes. The cephalium will on ...

is brown, with white wool and thorn-like bristles, and grows up to 10 cm (4 inches). The flowers are pink, and grow to 2 cm long; they also have a diameter of 1.5 cm, protruding up to 1.2 cm from the cephalium. The pink fruits are up to 2 cm long.

Distribution and habitat

''Melocactus lemairei'' is endemic to Hispaniola, in the

Hispaniolan dry forests The Hispaniolan dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion on the island of Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti). They cover , around 20% of the island's area. Geography The dry forests are found mostly on ...

ecoregion. It grows in dry, rocky soils, and also occurs in humid depressions. It can also be found on sea cliffs and rocky offshore islands. There is a notable population around

Lake Enriquillo Lake Enriquillo ( es, Lago Enriquillo) is a hypersaline lake in the Dominican Republic located in the southwestern region of the country. Its waters are shared between the provinces of Bahoruco and Independencia, the latter of which borders Hait ...

and its

lake island A lake island is any landmass within a lake. It is a type of inland island. Lake islands may form a lake archipelago. Formation Lake islands may form in numerous ways. They may occur through a build-up of sedimentation as shoals, and become ...

, Isla Cabritos.

Ecology

''M. lemairei'' has been recorded to constitue some of the diet of the

Ricord's iguana ''Cyclura ricordii'', also known as Ricord's ground iguana or Ricord's rock iguana, is an endangered species of medium-sized rock iguana, a large herbivorous lizard. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (in both Haiti and the Dominican Repub ...

(''Cyclura ricordii'').

Conservation

''Melocactus lemairei'' is listed as Near Threatened on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

, due to it being found in less than 10 locations on Hispaniola, as well as being threatened by collection from the wild, and land clearing for agriculture, industry, and urban development. Based on current knowledge of habitat degradation in Haiti, as well as it only containing one known population of this species (in and around

Gonaïves Gonaïves (; ht, Gonayiv, ) is a commune in northern Haiti, and the capital of the Artibonite department of Haiti. It has a population of about 300,000 people, but current statistics are unclear, as there has been no census since 2003. History ...

), ''Melocactus lemairei'' is probably under threat in Haiti. This species is threatened by collection from the wild in the Dominican Republic; the cactus is often used as medicine and sold.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q146405 lemairei Flora of Hispaniola