Sclerocactus cloverae

K. D. Heil & J. M. Porter

Haseltonia 2: 31. 1994.

Common names: Clover eagle-claw cactus Clover’s fishhook cactus
Endemic
Basionym: Sclerocactus whipplei var. heilii Castetter P. Pierce & K. H. Schwerin, Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) 48: 79, figs. 3, 4. 1976 Sclerocactus whipplei var. reevesii Castetter P. Pierce & K. H. Schwerin
Synonyms: Pediocactus cloverae (K. D. Heil & J. M. Porter) Halda Sclerocactus cloverae subsp. brackii K. D. Heil & J. M. Porter
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 202. Mentioned on page 199, 201.

Stems unbranched (occasionally 2–3-branched near base), green, ovoid to elongate-cylindric, 2.9–25 (–35) × 2.8–12.5 (–20) cm; ribs usually (11–) 13 (–15), well developed, tubercles evident on ribs. Spines obscuring stems; radial spines 4–6 per areole, acicular, elliptic or rhombic in cross-section, 19 × 1.3–2 mm; central spines 6–9 per areole, usually 8; abaxial central spine usually 1 per areole, porrect, straw colored to brown, highlighted with purple or red, terete or somewhat angled, hooked, (15–) 30–46 × 1.5 mm; lateral central spines 5–8 per areole, similar to abaxial but slightly shorter and usually not hooked; adaxial central erect, white or straw colored, straight or curved, angled to flat, somewhat inconspicuous, triangular in cross-section, 25–55 × 1–2 mm. Flowers narrowly funnelform to campanulate, 2.5–3.5 (–4) × 1.6–3.1 (–3.6) cm; outer tepals with greenish to purple with brownish midstripes, pink, purple, or whitish margins, larger ones oblanceolate, 10–18 × 4–7.5 mm, margins membranous and crisped or minutely toothed, apex mucronate; inner tepals purple, sometimes suffused with brown, largest tepals oblanceolate, 15–22 (–30) × 4–6 mm, margins irregularly toothed, apex mucronate; filaments white, tinged with pink to pink-purple; anthers yellow; ovary minutely papillate, appearing smooth. Fruits irregularly dehiscent or dehiscent through basal abscission pore, green to tan, sometimes suffused with pink, 7–15 × 5–12 mm, dry; scales few, membranous, scarious-margined, minutely toothed or fringed. Seeds brown or black, 1.2–2.5 × 1.9–3.5 mm; testa with rounded papillae.


Phenology: Flowering late Apr-early Jun.
Habitat: Sandy, gravelly, or clay hills, mesas, and washes, desert grasslands, saltbush, sagebrush, and rabbitbrush flats, pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation: 1500-2200 m

Discussion

Sclerocactus cloverae is characterized by its very dense spines and small (relative to S. parviflorus) purple flowers. Phylogenetic analyses of chloroplast DNA sequences support a close relationship among S. cloverae, S. whipplei, and S. parviflorus (J. M. Porter et al. 2000). Populations with all reproductive individuals maintaining juvenile morphology have been segregated as S. cloverae subsp. brackii K. D. Heil & J. M. Porter.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

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

... more about "Sclerocactus cloverae"
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
, +, highlighted with purple or highlighted with red +, straw colored +  and brown +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (4.6 cm46 mm <br />0.046 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
straw colored +  and white +
curved +  and straight +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br />) +
triangular +  and angled to flat +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
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 +
K. D. Heil & J. M. Porter +
hardened +
Sclerocactus whipplei var. heilii +  and Sclerocactus whipplei var. reevesii +
triangular +
pink +  and purplish-pink or black +
subulate +  and acicular +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Clover eagle-claw cactus +  and Clover’s fishhook cactus +
mucilaginous +
notched +
Colo. +  and N.Mex. +
1500-2200 m +
not separating +
tinged with pink +  and pink-purple +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
3.1 cm31 mm <br />0.031 m <br /> (3.6 cm36 mm <br />0.036 m <br />) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 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 />) +
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (3.1 cm31 mm <br />0.031 m <br />) +
2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
suffused with pink;green;tan +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
cylindric +  and subspheric +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
Sandy, gravelly, or clay hills, mesas, and washes, desert grasslands, saltbush, sagebrush, and rabbitbrush flats, pinyon-juniper woodlands +
2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 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 />) +
toothed +  and crisped +
membranous +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
papillate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering late Apr-early Jun. +
mucilaginous +
abscission +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
greenish +  and white +
tuberculate +
scarious-margined +
fringed +  and toothed +
membranous +
arillate +  and strophiolate +
black +  and brown +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 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 />) +
0.19 cm1.9 mm <br />0.0019 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
black +, purplish-pink +, pink +, brown +, straw colored +, gray +  and white +
curved +  and straight +
deciduous +  and persistent +
4 (?) +  and 6 (?) +
rhombic +, elliptic +  and acicular +
hard +  and rigid +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
decurrent +
12.5 cm125 mm <br />0.125 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
2.9 cm29 mm <br />0.029 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
ovoid +  and elongate-cylindric +
succulent +
2.8cm;12.5cm +
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 />) +
flat-topped +
tuberculate +
Pediocactus cloverae +  and Sclerocactus cloverae subsp. brackii +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Sclerocactus cloverae +
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 +