''Obregonia'', the artichoke cactus, is a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
genus of
cacti, containing the species ''Obregonia denegrii''. The species is
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 else ...
to the state of
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...
in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
The
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
''Obregonia'' is named after
Álvaro Obregón
Álvaro Obregón Salido (; 17 February 1880 – 17 July 1928) better known as Álvaro Obregón was a Sonoran-born general in the Mexican Revolution. A pragmatic centrist, natural soldier, and able politician, he became the 46th President of Me ...
, while the species is named after Ramon P. De Negri, who was the
Minister of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...
of Mexico when the cacti was first described by Alfred Frec in 1923.
Description
This rare species resembles an inverted green
pine cone
A conifer cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is a seed-bearing organ on gymnosperm plants. It is usually woody, ovoid to globular, including scales and bracts arranged around a central axis, especially in conifers an ...
with a woolly center. It grows slowly in culture and requires little water. It benefits from full sun and is multiplied by seed. It is very slow growing.
It is an
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 ...
Endangered species.
Uses
The
Nahuatl Indians call the plant ''peyotl'', and it is said to have
hallucinogenic
Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorized ...
alkaloids.
It is one of the closest living relatives of the genus ''
Lophophora
''Lophophora'' () is a genus of spineless, button-like cacti. Its area range covers southern through northeastern and north-central Mexico to Querétaro in central Mexico. The species are extremely slow growing, sometimes taking up to thirty ye ...
''.
Gallery
File:Obregonia denigrii 9.JPG, ''Obregonia denigrii'' in flower
File:Obregonia denegrii 4.JPG, ''Obregonia denigrii'' seen from above
File:Obregonia denigrii 11.JPG, The flower of ''Obregonia denigrii''
File:Cactaceaeː Obregonia denegril.JPG, Cultivated plant specimen
References
* — Database report on species & threats.
External links
*
Cactiguide.com: ''Obregonia''
Cactoideae genera
Cacti of Mexico
Endemic flora of Mexico
Monotypic Cactaceae genera
Endangered biota of Mexico
Endangered flora of North America
{{Cactus-stub