Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family)
Scientific name: Coryphantha
bumamma (Ehrenberg)
Britton & Rose
In: Cact. 4:33, 1923
Basyonim: Mammillaria bumamma Ehremberg
In: Allg. Gartenz. 17:243,1849.
Origin: Mexico (Michoacan and Oaxaca).
Habitat:
Grows in deep fine volcanic soil,
among grasses often in cereus forest.
Conservation status:
Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Common English Names include: Elephants Tooth
Etymology: From the Greek word 'koryphe' meaning summit and 'anthos'
flower.
Synonyms:
- Coryphantha elephantidens ssp. bumamma (Ehrenberg)
Dicht & A. Lüthy
In: Cact. Syst. Init. 11:14, 2001.A
- Mammillaria elephantidens Shumann
In: Keys Monogr. Cact. 43, 1903
- Coryphantha elephantidens (Lemaire) Lemaire
1868
C. elephantidens is the centre of a complex of closely
related species and it is quite difficult to decide about what is the
valid names or eventual subspecies of the different taxon at present
time.
The complex comprises:
Coryphantha elephantidens (Lemaire 1838) Lemaire 1868
Coryphantha sulcolanata (Lemaire 1838) Lemaire 1868,
Coryphantha recurvispina (De Vriese 1839) Bremer 1976,
Coryphantha bumamma (Ehrenberg 1849) Britton & Rose 1923,
Coryphantha greenwoodii Bravo 1970 and Coryphantha
garessii Bremer 1980.
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Description:
Coryphantha bumamma is a strongly offsetting species forming
large groups up to 50 cm in diameter. In adulthood it produces an
abundant amount of attractive wool that covers its body. This will wash
off if watered from above but will re-grow again. It is very similar to
C. elephantidens but the flower are much smaller and nearly yellow.
Roots:
It has a stout carrot-like root ,
almost equal in diameter to that of the stem itself.
Stem: Flattened
globular, ,
broader than high, often
(in habitat) arising only a little above the surface of ground, glossy
green to bluish-green up to 13 cm in diameter.
Tubercles: Very large up
to 27 mm wide and 16 mm tall, always broader than rounded, in 8-13
series, conical flattened , rounded on top, slightly pentaedrical at the
base, with a woolly groove on the upper side. The axil in youth is very
woolly, later naked. Without glands.
Areoles:
Elongate up to 4 mm long.
Central spines:
Absent.
Radial spines: The
tubercles are capped with a 5-8 of stout, stiff, evenly spreading,
reflexed radial spines,16-26 mm long, subulated, curved, never porrect,
but adpressed to the body, usually 3 more strong are on the sides greysh
or brownish with darker tips
Flowers: Sweet smelling
large 5 to 6 cm
yellow with reddish midstripe dorsally, inner perianth segments narrowly
oblong to lanceolate, margin entire, acute, 5 mm wide, filament
reddishat the base, lobes greenish, stigma longer then filaments.
Blooming season:
The flowers generally appear mid to
late summer.
Fruit: Claviform, very big, ca. 4 cm long, 10-13 mm
diameter, whitish green with a reddish tinge.
Seeds: About 4 mm long and 1 mm in
diameter, light brown.
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