Melocactus violaceus
| Melocactus violaceus | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melocactus violaceus in culture |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Melocactus violaceus | ||||||||||||
| Whistle. |
Melocactus violaceus is a species of the genus Melocactus in the cactus family(Cactaceae). The specific epithet violaceus means 'violet-colored'.
description
Melocactus violaceus grows with dark green bodies that reach heights of 5 to 20 centimeters and diameters of 6 to 20 centimeters. There are 5 to 15 ribs . The very slender thorns are brownish, have a darker tip and are often tinged with gray. Central spines are absent. The 5 to 8 straight or slightly curved radial spines reach lengths of 1.4 to 2.4 centimeters. The lowest are up to 3 centimeters long. The cephalium , made up of light red, fine bristles and plenty of white wool , is up to 6 centimeters high (rarely higher) and reaches a diameter of 3.5 to 8.5 centimeters.
The deep pink flowers protrude clearly from the cephalium. They are 1.5 to 2.5 inches long and 6 to 14 millimeters in diameter. The light pink to dark pink to lilac-pink or white fruits are 1.2 to 1.9 inches long.
Systematics, distribution and endangerment
Melocactus violaceus is widespread in northeastern Brazil .
It was first described in 1835 by Ludwig Georg Karl Pfeiffer .
In the literature, the following subspecies are distinguished with varying degrees of acceptance :
- Melocactus violaceus subsp. violaceus
- Melocactus violaceus subsp. natalensis P.J.Braun & Esteves
- Melocactus violaceus subsp. margaritaceus N.P. Taylor
- Melocactus violaceus subsp. ritteri N.P. Taylor
Melocactus violaceus is in the endangered Red List species the IUCN as " Vulnerable (VU) ", d. H. classified endangered. In 2002 this also applied to the subspecies Melocactus violaceus subsp. violaceus and Melocactus violaceus subsp. margaritaceus . Melocactus violaceus subsp. ritteri , on the other hand, was considered " Critically Endangered (CR) ". H. threatened with extinction. In the 2010 update, the subspecies were not reassessed and removed from the red list.
proof
literature
- Edward F. Anderson : The Great Cactus Lexicon . Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8001-4573-1 , p. 431 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dr. Pfeiffer: Description of some new cacti . In: General garden newspaper . Volume 3, Number 40, 1835, pp. 313-314, (online) .
- ↑ Melocactus violaceus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Posted by: Braun, P., Machado, M., Taylor, NP & Zappi, D., 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
