Astrophytum asterias

(Zuccarini) Lemaire

Cactées, 50. 1868.

Common names: Star-peyote star cactus se a-urchin cactus
IllustratedConservation concern
Basionym: Echinocactus asterias Zuccarini Abh. Math.–Phys. Cl. Königl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. 4(2): 13. 1845
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 192.

Plants flat-topped and usually flush with soil surface, or at most, aboveground portion low, dome-shaped. Stems shiny, sparsely speckled by bright white extra-areolar hair-tufts 0.5–1 mm diam.; ribs usually 8, straight, very low, nearly flat or rounded; areoles 3–5 mm diam., with yellow or gray wool. Flowers opening widely, externally long woolly; inner tepals lanceolate, acuminate. 2n = 22.


Phenology: Flowering Mar–May and sporadically after summer rainfall.
Habitat: Grasslands, shrublands, Tamaulipan thorn scrub, gravelly slopes and deep soil of flats
Elevation: 20-100 m

Distribution

V4 360-distribution-map.gif

Tex., Mexico (Nuevo León), Mexico (Tamaulipas)

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

The vernacular name of Astrophytum asterias, star-peyote, reflects its superficial similarity to peyote, Lophophora williamsii, which has very soft, uniformly pale blue-green stems quite unlike the hard, speckled, almost shiny, green stem surface in A. asterias. Astrophytum asterias is extremely rare and localized north of Mexico, presently known only from Starr County, Texas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Astrophytum asterias"
cushionlike +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
hourglass--shaped +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
Allan D. Zimmerman +  and Bruce D. Parfitt +
(Zuccarini) Lemaire +
spineless +
hardened +
Echinocactus asterias +
triangular +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Star-peyote +, star cactus +  and se a-urchin cactus +
not mucilaginous +
uninterrupted +
straight +
rounded +  and flat +
Tex. +, Mexico (Nuevo León) +  and Mexico (Tamaulipas) +
20-100 m +
not separating +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
5.4 cm54 mm <br />0.054 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
5.2 cm52 mm <br />0.052 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (5.4 cm54 mm <br />0.054 m <br />) +
tubular +, urceolate +  and salverform +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
3.8 cm38 mm <br />0.038 m <br /> (5.2 cm52 mm <br />0.052 m <br />) +
pinkish;red +
splitting +  and indehiscent +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
ovoid +  and spheric +
12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br /> (?) +
Grasslands, shrublands, Tamaulipan thorn scrub, gravelly slopes and deep soil of flats +
multicellular +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (?) +
acuminate +  and lanceolate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
rudimentary +
flat +  and terete +
nearly +  and microscopic +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
fluted;spheric;depressed-spheric or club-shaped +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering Mar–May and sporadically after summer rainfall. +
not mucilaginous +
aboveground +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
straight +
rounded +  and flat +
expanded +
triangular +
dark-brown +  and blackish +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
bowl--shaped +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Conservation concern +
deciduous +  and persistent +
0 (?) +  and 90 (?) +
annulate-ridged +, hairlike +, daggerlike +, subulate +  and acicular +
hard +  and rigid +
decurrent +
unsegmented +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
depressed-spheric +  and hemispheric +
succulent +
6cm;10cm +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (?) +
tuberculate +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Astrophytum asterias +
Astrophytum +
species +
dull +  and glossy +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
unbranched +  and branched +
epiphytic;epiphytic;epiphytic +
hanging +  and erect to prostrate +
dome--shaped +  and flat-topped +
gray +  and yellow +