Acharagma aguirreanum is a critically endangered microendemic cactus. It has a range of about one square kilometer in the calcareous semi-desert of the Sierra de la Paila in Coahuila, Mexico. Its population is estimated at less than 1000 individuals. Its only major threat is illegal collecting.
| Acharagma aguirreanum | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Genus: | Acharagma |
| Species: | A. aguirreanum
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| Binomial name | |
| Acharagma aguirreanum (Glass & R.A.Foster) Glass
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description
editAcharagma aguirreanum usually grows singly with a spherical to depressed spherical, soft plant body.[citation needed] It is medium green to purple in color and grows up to 5 cm (2.0 in) high and 5 to 7 cm (2.0 to 2.8 in) in diameter.[citation needed] The fleshy warts are somewhat flexible and grow up to 0.5 cm (0.20 in) in size.[citation needed] Two or more central spines are formed that are difficult to distinguish from the marginal spines.[citation needed] The 13 to 16 marginal spines are often in two rows and are 0.8 to 1.5 cm (0.31 to 0.59 in) long.[citation needed]
The yellowish to reddish yellow flowers are up to 1.8 cm (0.71 in) long and up to 2 cm (0.79 in) in diameter.[citation needed] The greenish-purple fruits are up to 1.2 cm (0.47 in) long and up to 0.35 cm (0.14 in) in diameter.[2]
Distribution
editAcharagma aguirreanum is widespread in Mexico in the state of Coahuila at the western end of the Sierra de la Paila.[citation needed]
Taxonomy
editIt was first described as Gymnocactus aguirreanus in 1972 by Charles Edward Glass and Robert Alan Foster.[3] The specific epithet aguirreanum honors the Mexican cactus specialist Gustavo Aguirre Benaides from Parras de la Fuente. Charles Edward Glass placed the species in the genus Acharagma in 1997. Other nomenclature synonyms are Thelocactus aguirreanus (Glass & R.A.Foster) Bravo (1980) and Escobaria aguirreana (Glass & R.A.Foster) N.P.Taylor (1983).
References
edit- ^ a b c Anderson, E.F.; Fitz Maurice, B.; Fitz Maurice, W.A. (2002). "Acharagma aguirreanum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2002: e.T40966A48029004. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2002.RLTS.T40966A48029004.en.
- ^ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. p. 70. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.
- ^ "Cactus and Succulent Journal March-April 1972: Vol 44 Iss 2 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive". Internet Archive. 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
External links
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Media related to Acharagma aguirreanum at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Acharagma aguirreanum at Wikispecies
