Carnegiea

Britton & Rose

J. New York Bot. Gard. 9: 187, fig. 32, plates 48–52. 1908.

Etymology: For Andrew Carnegie, 1835–1919, Scottish-born American philanthropist and patron for systematic studies of cacti
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 184. Mentioned on page 97, 185.
 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA4 P32 Carnegiea gigantea.jpegCarnegiea gigantea
Stenocereus thurberi
Echinocactus horizonthalonius
John Myers
John Myers
John Myers

Trees, 1–10-branched or unbranched, massive with trunk, main branches erect or ascending from near midstem of trunk (secondary branches absent except where injured). Roots diffuse. Stems unsegmented, green, columnar, gigantic, 500–1500 × 25–75 cm; bark gray, well developed only near base and over stem wounds; ribs 19–26 or, on young plants, 11–15, broadly triangular in cross-section, rib crests rounded, flat, neither tuberculate nor notched between areoles (slightly raised tubercles on distal stems of old plants); areoles 1 cm apart along ribs, circular, elliptic, or shield-shaped, with dense, tannish white to gray hairs; areolar glands absent; cortex and pith not mucilaginous. Spines (8–) 15–28 (–50) per areole, tannish white to beige or grayish, acicular, rigid, terete, flattened, or angular, hard; radial spines (8–) 15–20 (–50) per areole, flattened against ribs or spreading, 10–20 mm; central spines (0–) 4–7 per areole, diffusely spreading, 30–50 × 10–15 mm. Flowers nocturnal, but remaining open next day, mostly terminal to subterminal on stems (also lateral), from adaxial edges of areoles, funnelform-salverform with short tube, 8.5–14 cm; tepals all strongly reflexed; outer tepals green, 2–2.5 cm, margins whitish, undulate; inner tepals waxy white, 2–3.5 × 1–1.8 cm, margins entire or undulate; ovary tuberculate, minutely scaly; scales triangular, small, axils usually without hairs or spines (sometimes flexible bristlelike spines present); stigma lobes ca. 10, tannish white, ca. 12 mm. Fruits dehiscent by 2 or more vertical splits from apex, dark red, obovoid to ellipsoid, 45–95 × 25–45 mm, apex truncate, occasionally with thin white spines; pulp bright red, sweet; floral remnant persistent. Seeds reddish black, obovoid, 1.5 mm, glossy, smooth; testa cells flat. x = 11.

Distribution

sw United States, nw Mexico

Discussion

Species 1.

On young trunks and major branches, spines are stiff, straight, and acicular, and the central spines are strongly developed. In contrast, on young areoles near the flowering stem tips of old primary and secondary branches, spines are mostly flexible, wiry or bristlelike, curved or twisted radial spines. On the oldest trunks, central spines often are lost, and radial spines appear very numerous as they continue to develop for many years as areoles enlarge.

Lower Taxa

"thin" is not a number.

... more about "Carnegiea"
cushionlike +
deciduous +  and persistent +
shield--shaped +  and elliptic +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
Arthur C. Gibson +
Britton & Rose +
hardened +
triangular +
30mm +  and 50mm +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
not mucilaginous +
sw United States +  and nw Mexico +
not separating +
For Andrew Carnegie, 1835–1919, Scottish-born American philanthropist and patron for systematic studies of cacti +
funnelform-salverform +
8.5 cm85 mm <br />0.085 m <br /> (14 cm140 mm <br />0.14 m <br />) +
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 />) +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (9.5 cm95 mm <br />0.095 m <br />) +
obovoid +  and ellipsoid +
dry +, fleshy +  and juicy +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br />) +
tannish white +  and gray +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
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 +
ascending +  and erect +
undulate +  and entire +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
not mucilaginous +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
J. New York Bot. Gard. +
bright red +
steenbergh1977a +
tuberculate +
notched +  and rounded +
triangular +
triangular +
arillate +  and strophiolate +
reddish black +
0.4mm;12mm +
obovoid +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
white +, tannish white +  and beige or grayish +
deciduous +  and persistent +
15 (?) +  and 20 (?) +
flattened +, angular +, terete +  and acicular +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
hard +  and rigid +
decurrent +
open +  and unsegmented +
500 cm5,000 mm <br />5 m <br /> (1,500 cm15,000 mm <br />15 m <br />) +
mostly terminal +  and subterminal +
columnar +
gigantic +
succulent +
25cm;75cm +
12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br /> (?) +
tuberculate +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Carnegiea +
Cactaceae subfam. Cactoideae +
dull +  and glossy +
unbranched +  and 1-10-branched +
epiphytic;epiphytic;epiphytic +
hanging +  and erect to prostrate +
barrel-shaped +  and spheric +