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 ...

''Aztekium'' contains three

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 ...

of small globular

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 ...

. Discovered in 1929 by F. Ritter, in Rayones, Nuevo León, Mexico, this genus was thought to be

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 ...

(with ''

Aztekium ritteri ''Aztekium ritteri'' is a species of cactus, in the genus ''Aztekium''. It is one of the three species that make up the genus. The species originated in Mexico. Aztekium is a genus endemic to Mexico. In Mexico, Aztekium ritterii it is called ...

'') until a second species ('' Aztekium hintonii'') was discovered by George S. Hinton, in

Galeana, Nuevo León Galeana is both a municipality and a city in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is named after Hermenegildo Galeana, a lieutenant involved in the country's movement towards independence. Galeana shares borders with the states of Coahuila, San Lui ...

in 1991. A further possible species, ''Aztekium valdezii'', was described in 2011, but is considered to be a synonym of ''A. ritteri''.

Description

''Aztekium ritteri'' is a small plant (around 20 mm wide), with 9 to 11 ribs, which typically have transverse wrinkles. Its color varies from pale green to grayish-green. The center of the cactus contains a lot of white wool. Flowers are small (less than 10 mm wide), with white petals and pinkish

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s. The plants bear small pinkish berry-like fruits. ''A. hintonii'' is larger, to 10 cm in diameter, 10 to 18 grooved ribs, flowers

magenta Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish- red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish-crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and blu ...

to 3 cm. It grows only on

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywal ...

Species

Etymology

Its name is dedicated to the

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

people, due to the resemblance between the plant's shape and certain Aztec sculptures.

Distribution

This genus is found only in the state of Nuevo León 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 ...

. It was estimated that there were in the order of tens of millions of plants of ''A. hintonii'', and at present most of its range is pristine. Though ''A. ritteri'' has been collected for decades and there has been destruction of its habitat, the number of plants in habitat is several million.

Cultivation

These species grow extremely slowly, taking around two years to attain a diameter of 3 mm. They are usually propagated by seeds.

Phytochemistry

The plants contain the following compounds: *

N-methyltyramine ''N''-Methyltyramine (NMT), also known as 4-hydroxy-''N''-methylphenethylamine, is a human trace amine and natural phenethylamine alkaloid found in a variety of plants.T. A. Smith (1977). "Phenethylamine and related compounds in plants." ''Phyto ...

hordenine Hordenine is an alkaloid of the phenethylamine class that occurs naturally in a variety of plants, taking its name from one of the most common, barley (''Hordeum'' species). Chemically, hordenine is the ''N''-methyl derivative of ''N''-methyltyra ...

* anhalidine * mescaline * N,N-3,4-dimethoxy-phenethylamine * pellotine * 3-methoxytyramine

References

External links

Sacred and Medicinal Cacti by MS Smith

{{Taxonbar, from=Q131705 Cacti of Mexico Endemic flora of Mexico Flora of Nuevo León Medicinal plants of North America Cactoideae genera Cactoideae