Astrophytum asterias, field notes
Tamaulipas, 31. December 1985
Extremely hot, cloudless day with over 30 degrees Celsius in the shade.
On the way to here is a burned-out bus on the roadside. Plantations with papaya (fruit still immature), oranges, lemons, sugar cane, many birds of prey on the trees and telephone poles. A dead owl with big ears on the street ...
An old man by burro (donkey) tells us that a hombre (Europeans) here recently collected plants for sale, we have brought the police ...
The area is obviously flooded regularly. Slight troughs and smooth hills, ponds, the grass vegetation interspersed with man-high bushes. Partly rocky areas with red-brown, up to fist-sized stones. The Astrophytum are very difficult to find because of their mimicry and grow on bush edges, but preferably in the open places.
The soil is clay with a little moist humus, the plants are hard filled with water.
All plants with 8-ribs, only one with 7 ribs, a copy with a chlorophyll defect. The hairy scales adhere firmly, when they are missing there are significant pits in the epidermis. The plant vertex is most a little bit sunk and covered with alluvial, desiccated clay.
Ants, as many as at no Astrophytum site before: mainly large, red species.
There are no flower- or fruit hull (pericarp) remains to find in the vicinity of the plants.
Plant population of small (2-3 cm diameter) to large (7 cm) specimens, scattered arrangement. No arrangement of plants in ant trails.
Anemochory (dispersal by ants) in the grasslands plausible, hydrochory by flooding not excluded.
Tamaulipas, 04. January 1986
The old Indian had described us a second site of Asterias on 31. December1985, about 1 km from here as the crow flies.
There are here much larger plants with up to 10 cm diameter with much more hairy scales. Seedlings up to 4 cm have few hairy scales. The clay is brighter.
Again all copies 8-ribbed. (With a single exception: 3 cm diameter, 7 ribs).
The hairy scales and areoles act as clay catcher, thereby improving mimicry.
Both sites are "islands" in the cultivated area and each limited to about 100-200 square meters. Within these "islands" the Asterias populations are concentrated. Old and young plants mixed, with up to 10 plants at max. 25 square meters. The area is grazed by donkeys and goats. Excrements from these animals everywhere. Three leashed donkeys next the bushes enjoy the grass.
Tamaulipas, 11. January 1991
Cloudless, hot, 27 degrees Celsius in the afternoon shade.
In the proximity of the habitats from 1985 / 86:
The last few years must have been very dry, the grass is dried up (it was green erstwhile). It also was made a road route through the Astrophytum populations with major equipment. Huge gullies. Sand and clay-alluvion give evidence of elementary downpours.
Leaf-cutting ants defoliate a green, (yet) leafy shrub. Seed dispersers?
Native hunters with skinned rabbits report that Germans often look here for "Peyote".
A woman with a baby (grandson) confirms that she has never! seen snow here.
The trees belong to different genera including: Acacia, Prosopis (for lack of flowers and because of lack of time it is difficult to decide). Various grasses (mostly dry), medium height shrubs with gray, rounded leaves?
Many white, spiky snail shells that have been flushed out of the earth, several orange-red butterflies. The Astrophytum populations are destroyed. We find individual plants elsewhere, but no viable population. (Note: Heinzito has later made a nice drawing of a plant).
A sad day.
Texas, 23. May 1994
Slightly overcast sky (1-2 thirds of the sky), a hot and humid day, about 35 degrees Celsius in the shade.
Complicated tour the site. The land owner is driving the final distance about a mile ahead with his car ...
The heat is reflected from the ground. Sand, not much humus, dry. The rocks to fist-size, predominantly brown to rust (limestone, metamorphosed). Many white snail shells like in Tamaulipas.
Undulated terrain, max. differences in height about 10 m. Grazing cattle.
About 100-200 Asterias, every one with 8-ribs, flat on the floor (one exception). The plants do not differ in any way from those of Tamaulipas. No rib edges. Few fine hairy scales, partly arranged in a curved shape. All flowers faded, several opened fruit. The seeds are small!, red-brown to almost black, to about 20 cm scattered around the plants. Ants in a mature fruit. All Asterias are good in the juice (high turgor) but many are colored red-brown. Probably because of the extreme sunlight. They are hardly shaded (which I saw in Tamaulipas something different). Diameter of 2-10 cm, mainly 4-6 cm. Usually in groups of 5-10 pieces on two square meters, then again gaps. The total area covers max. 5000-10000 square meters which is separated by a road in two populations.
Four large specimens bitten by rabbits. One of them sprouting from the axis with two shoots, both already deep green, normal ripped and beautiful.
The accompanied vegetation is a very loose, open dry shrub with acacia stock, no higher than 3-4 meters. Buffle grass is in flower (pale-purple panicles), brought in at the site for cattle, endangering Astrophytum, but forms some sun protection, especially for free-standing plants.
literature from the author:
A chance with far reaching consequences...
At the habitat of Astrophytum asterias, Texas..
A surprise at the habitat of Astrophytum asterias...
miscellaneous:
first description of Astrophytum asterias
overview Astrophytum asterias
drawing of Astrophytum asterias
hunter of rabbits at the habitat
snail shells at the habitat of Astrophytum asterias
photos from Astrophytum asterias
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