BERNHARD, U.; HOOCK, H. 1986 . Kakt. and. Sukk. Band: 37 Heft (7) Seite 141-147 Die Astrophyten von Cuatro Cienegas
The Astrophytums of Cuatro Cienegas
The well-known cactus collector H.W.VIERECK found at 1930 nearby the surroundings of the north Mexican town Cuatro Cienegas a plant, which was first described by KAYSER (1933) as Echinocactus capricornis var. niveus and then later recombined to Astrophytum by VIERECK (1939).
This variety differs from Astrophytum capricorne (Dietrich) Britton et Rose var. capricorne primarily by the more robust growth. It gets 40-50 cm large at a diameter of 15-20 cm. The variable spines (usually of 6 -8) are edged, 7-9 cm long and turned upwards. The fluffy covered epidermis is fur-like white, however less dense as in the case of Astrophytum coahuilense (Moeller) Kayser. The yellow flower is "red looked" with a diameter of about 7 cm. Fruit and seed are hardly different of the type.
The location at Cuatro Cienegas lies in an about 500 square kilometres large, closed and drain loose basin landscape, a so-called bolson, and is one of the driest fields of the Chihuahua desert to which it belongs bio-geographically. This desert, which at present is still extending, includes the northern part of the Mexican plateau with the states Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Zacatecas, Durango also San Luis Potosi and is the largest of the three north American deserts stamped by dry bush with the essential element Kreosot-bush or the Gobernadora [Larrea tridentata (De Candolle) Coville] (BROWN 1982). The Bolson de Cuatro Cienegas is surrounded by high mountain ranges. Lime rock formations of Jurassic chalk geologically determine the field. The ground formation under the arid conditions proceeds only slowly so that in rising area ruins rock empire and flat, loamy sandy grounds primarily prevail, covered with the largest number of xerophytic plant species.
In an immediate proximity of the dry Sierras which reach partly over 3000 m over sea level there are surprisingly extensive damp and marsh biotopes this one being provided by mineral rich ground water forming here and there smaller lagoons. This unusual situation as well as the isolation of the valley made possible the emergence and preservation of many endemic animal and plant species (BOKE 1968). The climate is distinctive continentally with large seasonal contrasts (diagram 2 and 4). The daily thermal response also oscillates strongly. It passes in winter through values at night under the freezing point and values to more than 30 centigrade in the shade in the daytime. The precipitations are scanty with a summery maximum (diagram 3). To clarify the extreme conditions for the Astrophytums at this location comparable data of other A. capricorne populations are shown in diagram 1 and 2. It is similarly hot and with low precipitation like in Cuatro Cienegas only in the dried out Viesca lagoon basin. Rain fells just as much there over the whole year, as with us in Munich in June alone. The average year temperature on long-standing average in Munich is 7.9 but in Cuatro Cienegas 21.90 centigrade! There is an intensive UV radiation on the plateau and in the mountain regions of this landscape. Bad conditions for rottenness bacteria. Although the plants hardly rot, one surprisingly find frequently "corpses" anyway. Many Astrophytums are presumably a victim of the large dryness but also of different natural enemies. We could lock larvae of harming insects inside the body at some individuals. Astrophytum capricorne v. niveum grows in the gravel rich foot hills of the Sierra la Madera full sunny as well as in the protection of the accompanying vegetation in which spines and the tufts of wool are trained more weakly at the shadowed copies. Small lasting till half-height copses like the Gobernadora are dominating in this area, also Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens Engelmann), the Mesquite tree (Prosopis juliflora De Candolle) and others. Often mixed by large-area populations of Grusonia bradtiana Britton & Rose and Agave lechuguilla Torrey, further Yucca spp., Dasylirion sp. and Hechtia spp. To find the few A. capricorne var. niveum in this partly impenetrable bush at winter temperatures around 30 -35 centigrade wasn't easy (illustration 1).
This dry bush life community, the so-called Matorral (RZEDOWSKI cited in BRAVO-HOLLIS 1978), have an important ecological meaning -so to speak as a forerunner- offers the prerequisites for the existence of a large species number of stem and leave-succulents. We found cacti: Opuntia spp., Echinocereus spp., Echinocereus pectinatus var. rigidissimus (Engelmann) Ruempler, Echinocactus horizonthalonius Lemaire, Echinomastus spec., Glandulicactus uncinatus (Galeotti) Backeberg, Hamatocactus hamatacanthus (Muehlenpfordt) Knuth, Epithelantha micromeris (Engelmann) Weber, Mammillaria leona Poselger, Lophophora williamsii (Lemaire ex Salm Dyck) Coulter, as well as marvellous copies of Ariocarpus fissuratus (Engelmann) K. Schumann.
Several hours remote from Cuatro Cienegas there is another occurrence of Astrophytum out of the very variable A. capricorne complex. The plants possess feltily white flakes and strong spines like A. capricorne v. niveum. Under similar ground and climate conditions but in more weather prominent location and a dense vegetation cover degree we found more A. capricorne var. niveum than at Cuatro Cienegas. On the other hand, we couldn't find large and old plants. Primarily larger collections of the Candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphilitica Zuccarini) were conspicuous besides Gobernadora, Ocotillo, Grusonia bradtiana etc. (Candelilla is used to earn wax from the rod-formed shoots). Furthermore grows Selaginella lepidophylla Spring in a large quantity, in dry seasons a grey moss fern, which becomes green short after precipitations and therefore is called resurrection plant. There grow white dotted and dense spined A. capricorne v. niveum beside nude ones partial in the open area but usually disguised, however, excellently in crevices protected by grasses of Euphorbia antisyphilitica and low copses. While white and nude forms approximately numerically grow in same parts mixed types live there only occasionally. The latter fact is very surprising because a mutual fertilization of both forms cannot be excluded. Illustration 2. shows a typical specimen of this nude Astrophytums. It has a diameter of 11 cm without awls at almost spherical form. It has shrunk up to a limit of about 4 5 cm, which is at the location the buried part of the body. The plant has eight sharp and corrugated ribs with rounded edges. The epidermis is nude and completely of dark green colour. The spines are striking strong and up to 8.5 cm long. Their order is often parallel on the areole (see diagram of the spine distribution). It is characterized by a particularly strong couple at the lower end of the areole. The spine colouring is dark till russet in the new shoot. Already after the second areole on the rib, however, the colour changes to the typical grey. The spine surface frays at this age. It seems briefly viewed hairy. Form and colour of the spines imitate dry brushwood, grass and dead Hechtias of the natural surroundings. By the hard lights and shades of the highland sun an effect of somatolyse arises like the well known mimicry by animals (zebra, tiger). The nude A. capricorne var. niveum is disguised excellently by this visual resolution of the body contours at its location (illustration 3). The appearance of nude forms with white ones at the same location is also known with other Astrophytums. There are certain populations of Astrophytum myriostigma Lemaire in the Jaumave valley, Tamaulipas, which tend for the reduction of the tufts of wool. The quota of nude plants is there however extremely low. On the other hand we couldn't find any white forms at different locations of nude Astrophytum myriostigma in the area between Huizache and Dr. Arroyo.
Nude Astrophytum capricorne v. niveum like this - or at least very similar to these - are already known many years. Already 1935 photos by KREUZINGER were published, later reported MEGATA (1944), ITO (1981) and BUSEK (1981) about it.
All authors called these green till partly white dotted and strong spined plants for Astrophytum capricorne var. crassispinum (Moeller) Okumura. By MÖLLER (1925) this variety is characterized by a leaf green, sharp-ribbed body with weak or missing tufts of wool. The 6-8 flat spines are black to brown in the youth, later polar grey chalky. The flower isn't as in the case of Astrophytum capricorne var. capricorne yellow with a reddish eye but sulphurous yellow wax-like at the flower bottom. The nude Astrophytum capricorne var. niveum and the introduced material by KREUZINGER, MEGATA, ITO, BUSEK and also the "Astrophytum crassispinum" which a South German cactus market garden was selling within the last few years, with regard to the habitus of MÖLLER's first description all get close very much.
While the flower of the nude Astrophytum v. niveum still couldn't be examined most plants of the mentioned sources blossom with a very variable reddish colouring of the flower bottom and only some pure yellow. Furthermore the nude Astrophytum capricorne v. niveum grow over 100 km remote from the Sierra de Parras which A. MÖLLER indicates as a location of the plants. His brother described them as Echinocactus capricornus var. crassispinus Moeller unfortunately
without illustration and deposit of herbaria material so that this variety surely will remain controversial in future, too.
Another form circle was brought in connection to Astrophytum capricorne var. crassispinum because of the pure yellow flower. It are plants with large similarity to Astrophytum capricorne var. minus (Runge et Quehl) Okumura. H.W.VIERECK to whom the habitat of MÖLLER was unknown sent these plants to Europe. About these plants were often reported (KAYSER 1933, HAAGE-SADOVSKY 1957a/1957b, SADOVSKY-SCHÜTZ 1979). They had thin, flexible spines and were obviously more strongly covered with white tufts of wool. With the exception of the yellow blossom of some less plants these copies had no similarity to Astrophytum capricorne var. crassispinum in the sense of MÖLLER. Besides in culture 60% of the descendants flowered with a red middle (SADOVSKY 1951).
Which place value to the pure yellow flower has to characterize the Astrophytum capricorne var. crassispinum, is heavy to judge. It is sure that beside of pure yellow flowering cultivars from the sub-genus Neoastrophytum Backeberg (KAMPE 1979, WERY 1982) also exist material from the surroundings of Cuatro Cienegas and further from Astrophytum coahuilense (SCHÄTZLE, personal communication). It will take up some time to watch flowers, crossings, fruit and seedlings. Occasionally it shall be reported about the results.
Literature:
BOKE, N.H. (1968); Excursiones de la Universidad Oklahoma en el Norte de Mexico - 1967, Cact. Suc. J. Mex. 8 (3) 50-58
BROWN, D.E. (1982); Biotic Communities of the American Southwest - United States and Mexico, Desert Plants 4(1-4); 169-179
BUSEK, J. (1981): Astrophytum niveum W. Haage et Sadovsky und Astrophytum crassispinum W. Haage et Sadovsky Die zwei schönsten "Bischofsmützen", Kakt. and. Sukk. 32(6) 138 140
HAAGE, W., SADOVSKY O. (1957a); Revision in der Gattung Astrophytum Kakt and. Sukk. 8(9); 137-138
HAAGE, W., SADOVSKY O. (1957b); Kakteen -Sterne 51-59, Neumann Verlag Radebeul
ITO, Y. (1981) The Cactaceae-Classification and Illustration of Cacti 514 515 Japan
KAMPF, H.-D. (1979) - Astrophytum (capricorne var.) crassispinum - Wunschdenken oder Wirklichkeit?, Kakt. and Sukk 30 (12); 298-299
KAYSER, K. (1933); Echinocactus (Astroph.) capricornis niveus var. n., Kakteenkunde (1): 31-32
MEGATA, M (1944); An Account of the Genus Astrophytum Lemaire, Memoirs of the College of Agriculture No. 56 51 - 52, Fig. 29, Kyoto Imperial University
MÖLLER, H. (1925); Echinocactus capricornus Dietr. und seine Varietäten, Zeitschrift für Sukkulentenkunde 2 (7); 127-129
RZEDOWSKI, J. (1968) zit. in BRAVO-HOLLIS, H. (1978); Las Cactaceas de Mexico; 96, Universidad National Autonoma de Mexico
SADOVSKY, O (1951)- Bemerkungen zur Gattung Astrophytum Lem., Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Kakteen-Gesellschaft 10(9); 33-34
SADOVSKY, O., SCHÜTZ, B. (1979); Die Gattung Astrophytum 149-153, Abb. 111,112, Flora-Verlag Titisee-Neustadt
SECRETARIA DE PROGRAMACION Y PRESUPUESTO, (1981); Carta de Climas - Monterrey
VIERECK, H. W. (1939); Astrophyten, wie sie der Sammler in den Heimatgebieten sieht, Beiträge zur Sukkulentenkunde; 4-8
WERY, H. (1982); Reingelbe Blüten bei Astrophytum asterias (Zuccarini) Lemaire, Kakt.and.Sukk. 33 (1); 7
Pictures:
Astrophytum capricorne v. niveum
Astrophytum capricorne v. niveum f. nudum
diagram spine-distribution
climate diagrams
articles
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