Thelocactus garciae
Type locality: Municipio de Bustamante, Tamaulipas,
Mexico
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Description:
Solitary or occasionally scarcely
cespitose.
Stem:
Pale green bronzing to dull purple red in sun and cold, 12 cm in
diameter, 7.5 cm high.
Ribs:
completely divided into tubercles arranged in 8 and 13 spirals, about 15
mm high and 15 mm wide at base.
Areoles:
Slightly below the tip on the outer side of rounded tubercle, the
floriferous portion is a narrow extension approximately 3 or 4 mm long
on the inner side of the tubercle tip.
Radial spines:
Of two types, 7 heavy acicular in lower half of areole, spreading,
radiating, and 7 in the upper half, fine acicular, almost bristle-like.
Central spines:
4, lowest about 60 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide
near base somewhat down-curving, dull grey tipped brownish. Lateral
centrals spreading-ascending variably 30-50 mm long.
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Flowers:
30-40 mm in diam., 30-35 mm long palest translucent shiny pink, with
darker pink mid stripe, darker and broader towards the base, rarely
almost pale translucent creamy white, even on same plants as pale rose
flowers. Anthers bright yellow.
Flowering time:
December through February (or spring)
Fruit:
Elongating at maturity to 20 mm long, ca. 13 mm wide, purplish red
fading to yelowish towards the base, with small, triangular scales.
Note: This plant is similar to both T. conothele and T.
tulensis. It differs from the members of the T. conothele
complex by its darker green, bronzing, more prominent tubercles and
different spination and distinct flower color of shiny pink with darker
mid-stripe. It differs from members of the T. tulensis complex by
its greener stem color, and radial spine count of 14 as compared to 6-7
for T. tulensis, 7-8 for
T. buekii
and 7 for T. matudae, and by the flower color, pink and white
striped to yellow for T. tulensis and purplish red or reddish
purple for T.
buekii and T. matudae.
Cultivation:
Easy to cultivate. Water moderately from
Spring to Autumn. Keep dry in winter, can tolerate frequent moderate
frost, above approx -7C, Sun Summer grower needs full sun
exposures.
Reproduction: Nearly always from seed, since the plant rarely
produces plantlets.
Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and
cultivars of (Thelocactus
conothelos
complexcomplex):
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Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family)
Scientific Name (Basionym)
: Thelocactus garciae Glass & Mendoza
Published in: Ident. Guide Threatened Cacti of Mexico
1: TH/GA (1997)
Holotype: JAG 383, Tamaulipas, Municipio de Bustamante;
deposited in the CANTE herbarium n° 456.
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES Appendix II
Synonyms:
- Thelocactus conothelos subsp. garciae
(Glass & Mendoza) Mosco & Zanovello,
Published in: Bradleya 18: 63, 2000
- Torreycactus conothele subsp. garciae
(Glass & Mendoza) Doweld 2000
Origin: Restricted to
one locality in Tamaulipas (comes from the vicinity of Bustamante where
it was found by the Lausser couple)
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Flowers are translucent shiny pink, with darker pink mid stripe, darker
and broader towards the base with bright yellow anthers.
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Cultivation and
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