Description: This taxon looks like to subsp. rioverdensis, but
smaller, with larger but narrow whitish flowers. The seeds are
smaller. Spines are whitish, longer, nidiform and curved up to 50mm
long.
Stem: Dark green, unbranced, sub-globose, flattened above ground,
up to 25mm wide and 15mm high.
Ribs: Not evident, forming flattened rhomboidal tubercles.
Areoles: Rounded, with white wool when young, later glabrous.
Spines: 2, whitish/yellowish, 25-50mm long, papyraceus. The
spines are nidiform (bunched at plant apex) and persistent only on the
upper body, below they fall off and the body and tubercles are corky and
bare.
Root: Larger than the stem, napiform about 40mm long and 20mm
thick.
Flowers: Apical, narrow funnelform, whitish, 20-30mm long,
25-40mm wide. Fruit: Tiny, ovate, 5x3mm.
Seed: Obtuse pyriform, ca. 0.9x0.6mm, testa black, glossy
Turbinicarpus rioverdensis ssp. paoli is considered to be a transitional form between
T. schmiedickeanus ssp. klinkerianus fa. schwarzii and
T. schmiedickeanus
ssp. rioverdensis.
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