Thelocactus tulensis is a species of cactus. It is endemic to Mexico.

Thelocactus tulensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Thelocactus
Species:
T. tulensis
Binomial name
Thelocactus tulensis
Synonyms
  • Echinocactus tulensis Poselg. 1853
  • Thelocactus buekii subsp. jarmilae Halda & Horáček 2000
  • Thelocactus buekii subsp. matudae (Sánchez-Mej. & A.B.Lau) Mosco & Zanov. 2000
  • Thelocactus krainzianus Oehme 1940
  • Thelocactus leucacanthus f. krainzianus (Oehme) H.Nagl 1991
  • Thelocactus matudae Sánchez-Mej. & A.B.Lau 1978
  • Thelocactus nidulans subsp. matudae (Sánchez-Mej. & A.B.Lau) N.P.Taylor 1998
  • Thelocactus santaclarensis Halda, Kupčák & Sladk. 2000
  • Thelocactus tulensis subsp. huizachensis Halda & Sladk. 2000
  • Thelocactus tulensis subsp. kupcaki Halda & Sladk. 2000
  • Thelocactus tulensis var. longispinus Y.Itô 1981
  • Thelocactus tulensis subsp. matudae (Sánchez-Mej. & A.B.Lau) N.P.Taylor 1998
  • Thelocactus tulensis var. matudae (Sánchez-Mej. & A.B.Lau) E.F.Anderson 1987
  • Thelocactus tulensis subsp. vaskoanus (Halda, Hovorka & Zatloukal) Halda, Kupčák & Malina 2002
  • Thelocactus vaskoanus Halda, Hovorka & Zatloukal 2000

Description

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Thelocactus tulensis is a solitary, spherical cactus, sometimes slightly elongated, with a dark dull green body up to 25 centimeters high and 8 centimeters in diameter. It has 10 ribs that are bulbous to cone-shaped, up to 2 centimeters high and in diameter, with thick, fleshy warts that have many edges. The areoles are woolly when young, at a distance of 2.5 centimeters, and later become naked. It has 6 to 8 radial spines that are initially brownish and then turn white, measuring only 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. Additionally, it has 1 to 3 central spines that are up to 4 centimeters long, straight or curved, and whitish to horn-colored with a dark tip.

The flowers of Thelocactus tulensis are widespread, measuring 2.5 to 5 centimeters long and 3.5 to 8 centimeters in diameter. Their color varies from silvery white to delicate pink, with a carmine red central stripe. The scar of the flower is pale yellow. The fruits are green to greenish-magenta or whitish-brown, measuring 11 to 18 millimeters long and about 7 to 10 millimeters in diameter. The seeds are dark with a finely tuberous testa cell pattern.[2]

Distribution

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Thelocactus tulensis is native to the limestone hills in the Chihuahuan Desert in Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, and San Luis Potosí, Mexico at elevations of 1200 to 1900 meters.[3]

Taxonomy

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First described as Echinocactus tulensis in 1853 by Heinrich Poselger, the species was later placed in the genus Thelocactus by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose in 1923.[4] The specific epithet "tulensis" refers to the occurrence of the species near Tula in Mexico.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Sotomayor, M.; Gómez-Hinostrosa, C.; Hernández, H.M.; Smith, M. (2017). "Thelocactus tulensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T152910A121616648. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T152910A121616648.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Anderson, Edward F. (2001). The Cactus Family. Portland, Or: Timber Press (OR). p. 662–663. ISBN 0-88192-498-9.
  3. ^ "Thelocactus tulensis". LLIFLE. 2013-08-04. Retrieved 2024-05-11.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
  4. ^ Dietrich, Albert; Otto, Friedrich (1853). "Allgemeine Gartenzeitung". Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  5. ^ Britton, Nathaniel Lord; Eaton, Mary E.; Rose, J. N.; Wood, Helen Adelaide (1919). The Cactaceae : descriptions and illustrations of plants of the cactus family. Washington: Carnegie Institution of Washington. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.46288.
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