Sclerocactus nyensis

Hochstätter

Succulenta (Netherlands) 71: 253. 1992.

Common names: Nye fishhook cactus
EndemicConservation concern
Synonyms: Pediocactus nyensis (Hochstätter) Hal da
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 206. Mentioned on page 198.

Stems unbranched or 2–3-branched, spheric, cylindric, or elongate-cylindric, 5–12 (–16) × 4–8 (–10) cm; ribs 12–15, well developed, tubercles sometimes evident on ribs. Spines 10–14 (–17) per areole, dense, obscuring stems; radial spines white, straight, flat, 8–20 mm; central spines (1–) 6–8 per areole; abaxial and lateral central spines (0–) 3–5 per areole, red or reddish-brown, usually hooked, 20–60 × 0.7 mm; adaxial central spines 1–2 (–3) per areole, white, straight, (rarely hooked), flat, usually 25–45 × 1.5–2 mm. Flowers campanulate, 3–4 × 2–2.5 cm; outer tepals with greenish purple midstripes and rose-purple or magenta margins, cuneate-spatulate, usually 10–17 × 5–8 mm; inner tepals rose-purple to magenta, largest tepals ovatelanceolate, 18–22 × 6–8 mm; filaments green to yellow; anthers cream to yellow. Fruits indehiscent or irregularly dehiscent, green to tan or pale-red, barrel-shaped, 15–20 × 7–15 mm, dry at maturity. Seeds black, irregularly furrowed, 3–3.5 × 2 mm; testa with rounded papillae.


Phenology: Flowering May.
Habitat: Volcanic tuff and other volcanic deposits, northern Mojave desert scrub and saltbush flats
Elevation: 1500-1700 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Apparently endemic to Esmeralda and Nye counties, Nevada, Sclerocactus nyensis displays considerable morphologic variation across the relatively few small populations. Some plants are similar to S. blainei, S. pubispinus, and S. spinosior, but differ in the higher number of central spines (six to eight), and more or less indehiscent fruit. Chloroplast DNA analyses (J. M. Porter et al. 2000) provided evidence that Sclerocactus nyensis is the sister taxon to S. papyracanthus.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

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

... more about "Sclerocactus nyensis"
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (?) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
cream +  and yellow +
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 +
Hochstätter +
hardened +
triangular +
pink +  and purplish-pink or black +
subulate +  and acicular +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Nye fishhook cactus +
mucilaginous +
notched +
1500-1700 m +
not separating +
green +  and yellow +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 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 />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
green;tan or pale-red +
dehiscent +  and indehiscent +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
barrel--shaped +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
Volcanic tuff and other volcanic deposits, northern Mojave desert scrub and saltbush flats +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br />) +
ovatelanceolate +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 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 />) +
fimbriate +  and entire +
greenish purple +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering May. +
mucilaginous +
abscission +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
Succulenta (Netherlands) +
greenish +  and white +
tuberculate +
triangular +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 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 />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
Endemic +  and Conservation concern +
straight +
deciduous +  and persistent +
10 (?) +  and 14 (?) +
annulate-ridged +, hairlike +, daggerlike +, subulate +  and acicular +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
hard +  and rigid +
decurrent +
2-3-branched +  and unbranched +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
pale +  and dark green or bluish green +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
elongate-cylindric +, cylindric +  and spheric +
succulent +
4cm;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 />) +
flat-topped +
tuberculate +
Pediocactus nyensis +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Sclerocactus nyensis +
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 +