Astrophytum asterias
Remarks on history
Presumably Baron Karwinski has discovered Astrophytum asterias already in 1842 because Zuccarini received plants in the spring of 1843. The long transport times on land and sea atthie time needed surely several months - always postulating Karwinski was the sender. In addition to Munich and St. Petersburg, the new find came to the famous collection SALM-DYCK, J. (1850), as well as to the cactus dealer Haage. F. A. in Erfurt. Presumably by nurse mistakes Astrophytum asterias disappeared long before the turn of the century. Britton, N. L. & Rose, J. N. report that the collector Solis received plants 1919 from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande Valley , but the identity of these specimens with Asterias is under discussion. Presumably, the doubts are unjustified, because not only Contreras, F. collected there plants, but also unscrupulous dealers which looted empty the habitat as early as 1935. An impression of the value of the recovered Astrophytum asterias 1923 by Fric, A.V. provides a listing from the company Haage jun. F.A. in 1924 (Journal of Sukkulentenkunde, Germany). The price of 40 (German Mark) dollars for a plant with four centimeters in diameter corresponded at that time to approximately half the monthly salary of a well-paid industrial worker, who had the good fortune of having a job. What's more, Fric kept back most of his Asterias for seed production, as well as crossing experiments for his "Pragohybriden" and limited by this behaviour the offer.
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...
Original descriptions
Astrophytum asterias
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