''Acharagma'' is a
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 ...
of two
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 Gree ...
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
from northern
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 ...
.
Description
These
cacti are usually solitary but sometimes occur in small clusters. The globose stems tend to be about 3–7 cm in diameter. The ribs have tubercles, with ungrooved
areole
In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cacti out of which grow clusters of spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cacti, and identify them as a family distinct from other succulent plants. Gordon Rowley - W ...
s. The flowers are at the stem tips, and range from cream to pink and yellow.
The genus is of relatively recent creation, the species originally being described as part of ''
Escobaria
''Escobaria'', pincushion cactus or foxtail cactus is a genus of low-growing cacti that range from the southernmost parts of central and western Canada through northern Mexico, with one species in Cuba. The genus comprises about 23 species. The ...
'', although recognized as a separate section by
Nigel Taylor in 1983, and raised to a genus by
Charles Glass
Charles Glass (born November 18, 1951) is an American-British author, journalist, broadcaster and publisher specializing in the Middle East and the Second World War.
He was ''ABC News'' chief Middle East correspondent from 1983 to 1993, and has ...
in 1998.
Species
,
Plants of the World Online accepts two species.
[ A third possible species, ''A. huasteca'', described in 2011, is considered to be a synonym of ''Acharagma roseanum'' subsp. ''galeanense''.]
References
* Edward F. Anderson, '' The Cactus Family'' (Timber Press, 2001), pp. 108–109
* Zsolt Elhart, CactusWorld 29(2): 105. 2011
External links
*
*
Cactoideae genera
Cacti of Mexico
Endemic flora of Mexico
Flora of Coahuila
Cactoideae
{{Cactus-stub