Sclerocactus blainei

S. L. Welsh & K. H. Thorne

Great Basin Naturalist 45: 553, fig. 1. 1985.

Common names: Blaine fishhook cactus
EndemicConservation concern
Synonyms: Pediocactus spinosior var. schlesseri (K. D. Heil & S. L. Welsh) Halda Sclerocactus schlesseri K. D. Heil & S. L. Welsh Sclerocactus spinosior subsp. blainei (S. L. Welsh & K. H. Thorne) Hochstätter
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Mentioned on page 204.

Stems 0–3-branched, green to dark green, ovoid or cylindric (sometimes narrowly so), 3–15 × 2–8 cm; ribs (6–) 13 (–14), tubercles prominent on ribs. Spines dense but not obscuring stems; radial spines 6–12 (–16) per areole, spreading, white, 3–18 × 0.3–1.2 mm, pubescent; central spines (1–) 3–6 (–7) per areole, terete to angled, pubescent in young and early reproductive plants; abaxial central spines 1–3 per areole, tan to brown, reddish, or black, irregularly or strongly-hooked, 20–55 mm; lateral spines (0–) 2 (–4) per areole, white, tan, red, or reddish-brown, usually hooked, sometimes flattened and ribbonlike, 10–40 mm; adaxial spine 1 per areole, tipped white or dark, flattened and ribbonlike, (5–) 35–60 (–70) × 1.5–2.5 (–3.5) mm. Flowers funnelform to campanulate, 2–4 × 1.5–3 cm; outer tepals with reddish-brown midstripes and violet-pink or reddish purple margins, usually oblanceolate, 15–20 × 6–10 mm, margins irregularly toothed, apex mucronate; inner tepals lavender to reddish purple, oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 15–20 × 4–6 mm, apex minutely toothed; filaments red-violet or pink; anthers yellow; styles minutely and sparsely papillate. Fruits dehiscent along 2–4 vertical slits, green to pink or pale-red, barrel-shaped, 9–15 × 8–13 mm, dry; scales few, membranous, slightly scarious-margined. Seeds black, 2–2.5 × 3–4 mm; testa with rounded papillae.


Phenology: Flowering late Apr–May.
Habitat: Igneous or calcareous gravels, galleta grasslands, greasewood, sagebrush, or shadscale flats
Elevation: 1500-1800 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Sclerocactus blainei is an unusual species of Sclerocactus, sometimes possessing long ribbonlike spines reminiscent of S. papyracanthus. Sclerocactus blainei differs from other sclerocacti in its range (e.g., S. pubispinus and S. spinosior) in that the flowers are slightly larger and the adaxial central spine is longer than either S. pubispinus or S. spinosior. The central spine number varies, and the number of hooked spines may be as many as six, which is characteristic of S. polyancistrus.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

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

... more about "Sclerocactus blainei"
tan +  and brown reddish or black +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br />) +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
dark +  and tipped white +
35mm +  and 60mm +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
toothed +  and mucronate +
cushionlike +
spine-bearing +
circular to linear +
deciduous +  and persistent +
connected +
elliptic +  and pyriform +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
Kenneth D. Heil +  and J. Mark Porter +
S. L. Welsh & K. H. Thorne +
hardened +
triangular +
pink +  and purplish-pink or black +
terete +  and angled +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Blaine fishhook cactus +
mucilaginous +
notched +
Nev. +  and Utah. +
1500-1800 m +
not separating +
pink +  and red-violet +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
campanulate +
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 />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
green;pink or pale-red +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
barrel--shaped +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
Igneous or calcareous gravels, galleta grasslands, greasewood, sagebrush, or shadscale flats +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
oblanceolate +  and narrowly oblanceolate +
reddish-brown +, red +, tan +  and white +
flattened +  and hooked +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 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 +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
reddish-brown +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering late Apr–May. +
mucilaginous +
abscission +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
Great Basin Naturalist +
greenish +  and white +
tuberculate +
scarious-margined +
triangular +
membranous +
arillate +  and strophiolate +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
shiny +  and glossy +
obovoid;pyriform;obovoid;pyriform;lenticular-reniform;comma--shaped;spheric +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Endemic +  and Conservation concern +
curved +  and straight +
deciduous +  and persistent +
3mm +  and 18mm +
6 (?) +  and 12 (?) +
annulate-ridged +, hairlike +, daggerlike +, subulate +  and acicular +
hard +  and rigid +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
decurrent +
0-3-branched +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
green +  and dark green +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
cylindric +  and ovoid +
succulent +
2cm;8cm +
creamy white +, yellow +, green +  and pink +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
papillate +
flat-topped +
tuberculate +
Pediocactus spinosior var. schlesseri +, Sclerocactus schlesseri +  and Sclerocactus spinosior subsp. blainei +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Sclerocactus blainei +
Sclerocactus +
species +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
lanceolate to oblanceolate +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
dull +  and glossy +
papillate +
coalescent +
distinct +
epiphytic;epiphytic;epiphytic +
barrel-shaped +  and spheric +