Ariocarpus bravoanus
(Syn: Ariocarpus fissuratus var. bravoanus)

Ariocarpus bravoanus is one of the most sought-after of Mexican plants
This species start blooming when still young. The fist flower is larger than the plants body.

Habit: Usually solitary rosette-shaped geophyte cacti with  dark green verrucese tubercles..
Stem: Subglobose, markedly depressed centrally, to 6(-8.5)cm wide, rising no more than 2.5(-3.5)cm above ground level in habitat, with an extensive mucilage system.
Tubercles: Not crowded or basally compressed, adpressed in young individuals, becoming ascending, olive-green or grey-green. triangular in outline, deltate in cross section, adaxially flat but becoming conspicuously concave at maturity, usually longer than broad (to 3 7cm long and 2cm wide basally), asperous at base and irregularly papillose at apex, sometimes with the papillae forming one or two lateral furrows, sharply acute to acuminate apically, and with the edges sharply acute.
Aeoles: In the centre of the adaxial surface of the tubercles, 8-14mm from the tip, rounded to more or less elliptic, 2-5mm diam, woolly.
Spines: None.
Flowers: Up to 2.5cm long, outer perianth segments cream coloured inner perianth segments pinkish-magenta, filaments white, anthers yellow; pistil exerted above the stamens, white, style 13mm long, stigma

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Ariocarpus fissuratus/bravoanus  complex (This Taxon has lots of synonyms whit several controversial varieties and subspecies):

• A. fissuratus
• A. fissuratus cv. GODZILLA
• A. fissuratus cv. GODZILLA COTTON FLOCK type
• A. fissuratus forma mostruosa
• A. bravoanus
• A. bravoanus ssp. hintonii
• A. intermedius

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix I (In the wild the plant is extremely endangered, The type locality was systematically stripped by locals collecting the plants for sale and all the plants have been virtually collected out)

Scientific name (Original pubblication and basionym):
Ariocarpus bravoanus Hernandez, H. M. & Anderson, E. F.
Published in: Bradleya 10: 1-4.1992

Synonyms:   

• Ariocarpus fissuratus ssp. bravoanus (H. M. Hernandez & E. F. Anderson) J. Lüthy 1999
• Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus ssp. bravoanus. (H. M. Hernández & E. F. Anderson) Halda 1998
• Ariocarpus bravoanus ssp. bravoanus

Etymology: The new species was named in honour of Dra Helia Bravo, who contributed much to the study of the Mexican Cactaceae.

Origin: Limited to few very small areas within the state of San Luis Potosí. The plant was discovered accidentally in soil removed whilst extracting a specimen of a larger species by Hector Hernández of UNAM whilst collecting cacti for a herbarium project.

Habitat: Grows at an altitude of 1500m on a limestone gravel plain amongst creosote bush. In the dry season the plants shrivel and almost disappear under the level of the soil.
 

Cultivation: Need regular water in summer but very prone to rot other times of the year, Moderate water in spring an autumn, no water in winter. Full sun, half shade.

NOTE: Ariocarpus bravoanus clearly shows a close affinity to the previously described A. fissuratus var. hintonii that occurs approximately 75km further north, these two probably represent extremes of the same taxon.
A. bravoanus is particularly interesting as it represents a link between the former subgenera Ariocarpus with an undivided or fully divided areole and Roseocactus subgenus with the areolar fissure.