Open AccessNomenclature and redescription of the Jaumave Valley (Mexico) populations of Astrophytum myriostigma (Cactaceae)
Author(s) -
Richard R. Montanucci,
Klaus-Peter Kleszewski
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of the botanical research institute of texas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 2644-1608
pISSN - 1934-5259
DOI - 10.17348/jbrit.v13.i1.826
Subject(s) - biology , taxon , tepal , taxonomy (biology) , botany , nomenclature , pollen , stamen
Astrophytum myriostigma Lem. subsp. quadricostatum (H. Moller) K. Kayser and Astrophytum myriostigma Lem. subsp. tamaulipense K. Kayser are both validly published names, but the subspecific epithet quadricostatum has priority (published in 1927) over tamaulipense (published in 1932) and is, therefore, the correct name for the Jaumave Valley Bishop’s Cap. The Jaumave Valley populations have differentiated from subsp. myriostigma in several morphological characters. Both taxa have distinctly different stem morphology as seedlings but become similar in early maturity, although older Jaumave plants are usually slightly taller and more slender than subsp. myriostigma. As seedlings several years of age, the Jaumave plants have a slender, elongate stem resembling that of subsp. tulense K. Kayser, but they differ from both subsp. myriostigma and subsp. tulense in having black spines up to 4 mm long. The flowers of subsp. quadricostatum are slightly smaller and have fewer tepal rows than those of subsp. myriostigma. The smallest flowers, with one or two tepal rows, are typically found in subsp. tulense. Further comparisons among the three taxa must await the completion of studies now in progress.