Pediocactus despainii

S. L. Welsh & Goodrich

Great Basin Naturalist 40: 83, fig. 5. 1980.

Common names: San Rafael cactus Despain footcactus Despain’s pincushion cactus
EndemicConservation concern
Synonyms: Pediocactella bradyi var. despainii (S. L. Welsh & Goodrich) Doweld Pediocactus bradyi subsp. despainii (S. L. Welsh & Goodrich) Hochstätter Pediocactus bradyi var. despainii (S. L. Welsh & Goodrich) Hochstätter
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 216. Mentioned on page 212, 214.

Plants typically unbranched. Stems subglobose to obovoid, 3.8–6 × 3–9.5 cm; areoles circular to oval, villous to glabrate. Spines smooth, relatively hard, all radial, 9–15 per areole, spreading, white, 2–6 mm. Flowers 1.5–2.5 × 1.8–2.5 cm; scales and outer tepals minutely toothed to entire and undulate; outer tepals yellow-bronze to peach-bronze or pink with purple midstripes, 4–10 × 3–6 mm; inner tepals yellow-bronze to peach-bronze (rarely pink), 6–12 × 4–6 mm. Fruits green, drying reddish-brown, turbinate, 9–11 × 10–12 mm. Seeds black, 3.5 × 2.5 mm, shiny, papillate and rugose.


Phenology: Flowering spring.
Habitat: Desert pavements of cobble or pebble in pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation: 1500-1800 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Population-level studies of chloroplast DNA (J. M. Porter et al. unpubl.) confirm a close relationship between Pediocactus despainii and P. winkleri. Genetic relationships among populations correspond to geographic features of the region: populations with the San Rafael Swell represent one group of related populations, and populations south of the San Rafael Swell represent another group of related populations. This pattern conflicts in some ways with morphology. While all of the populations south of the San Rafael Swell are classified as P. winkleri, within the Swell some populations are P. despainii, several are P. winkleri, and a few are morphologically intermediate.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number. "broad" is not a number.

... more about "Pediocactus despainii"
cushionlike +
circular to linear +
deciduous +  and persistent +
villous +  and glabrate +
circular +  and oval +
Kenneth D. Heil +  and J. Mark Porter +
S. L. Welsh & Goodrich +
hardened +
triangular +
curved +  and straight +
terete +  and flat +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
San Rafael cactus +, Despain footcactus +  and Despain’s pincushion cactus +
mucilaginous +
1500-1800 m +
not separating +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 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 />) +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
reddish-brown;green +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
turbinate +
dry +, fleshy +  and juicy +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
Desert pavements of cobble or pebble in pinyon-juniper woodlands +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 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 +
entire +  and fimbriate +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering spring. +
mucilaginous +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
Great Basin Naturalist +
greenish +  and white +
3;2;2;30 +
undulate +, minutely toothed +  and entire +
arillate +  and strophiolate +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (?) +
rugose +  and papillate +
pyriform;obovoid +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (?) +
Endemic +  and Conservation concern +
curved +  and straight +
deciduous +  and persistent +
6mm +  and 30mm +
finely puberulent +  and glabrous +
9 (?) +  and 15 (?) +
pectinate +, awl-shaped +  and hairlike +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
decurrent +
unsegmented +
gray-green +  and green +
3.8 cm38 mm <br />0.038 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
subglobose +  and obovoid +
succulent +
3cm;9.5cm +
yellow +  and green +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
Pediocactella bradyi var. despainii +, Pediocactus bradyi subsp. despainii +  and Pediocactus bradyi var. despainii +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Pediocactus despainii +
Pediocactus +
species +
dull +  and glossy +
not confluent +
mammillate +, cylindroid +, truncate-conic +, conic +  and pyramidal +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
epiphytic;epiphytic;epiphytic +
hanging +  and erect to prostrate +
barrel-shaped +  and spheric +