The systematic and taxonomical history of species varieties and forms
The following data-collection contains the taxonomical and systematic treatment of the genus Astrophytum by important authors in history. While in the 19th century botanical correctness had priority, in the 20th century there were treatment by different people without botanical knowledge. The result therefore was often not acceptable because species, subspecies, varieties and forms were not defined or not exactly and sometimes mixed together. Nevertheless these works are shown following to get an overview.
Today science takes an exact definition for the “species”, which results in “clustering”, not “splitting” plant-populations. In biology there are few concepts which were discussed so intensely as the one of the species. One can say without going into these difficulties more nearly that the majority of the scientists is representing a definition at present according to Ernst MAYR. After this a species is a natural propagation community which differs of others by constant, hereditary characteristics and which is isolated reproductively (MAYR, E. 1942, 1982).
1828 Candolle, D.C. described
Echinocactus ornatus
and with this the first Astrophytum. The plants were put to the genus by Weber not before 1896 as an own species.(WEBER A. 1896 . D. Bois, Dictionnaire d' Horticulture Seite 467 Paris, Cactées).
1839 Lemaire, Ch. creates the genus Astrophytum, the only species is
Astrophytum myriostigma
1845 Dr. Josef Gerhard Zuccarini describes Echinocactus asterias, species of the genus:
Echinocactus asterias
Echinocactus myriostigma
1845 Salm-Dyck knows Astrophytum as a section of Echinocactus and calls it Asteroidei. The only one species in his collection is:
Echinocactus myriostigma
1846 Förster, C. F. also knows Echinocactus ornatus for Asteroidei but has only one species in the genus Astrophytum. In systematic he is a follower of Salm-Dyck like later also Dietrich, A. (1851), Croucher, J. (1873), Rümpler, Th. (1886), Schumann, K. (1903), Schelle, E. (1907), Möller, H. (1927)
Echinocactus myriostigma
1850 Salm-Dyck, species of the section Asteroidei:
Echinocactus asterias
Echinocactus myriostigma
1851 Dietrich, A. describes
Echinocactus capricornis and knows beside also
Echinocactus ornatus. Both species are not integrated in Astrophytum.
1868 Lemaire, Ch., second description of the genus Astrophytum, species of the genus:
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum myriostigma
1886 Rümpler Th., species of the genus:
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum myriostigma and he knows further
Echinocactus ornatus and
Echinocactus capricornis, with no connection to Astrophytum
1903 Schumann, K. knows under Echinocactus the genus Astrophytum with four species:
Echinocactus myriostigma Salm-Dyck with
var. columnaris K. Schumann
Echinocactus asterias Zuccarini
Echinocactus ornatus Pyramus De Candolle with
var. glabrescens Weber
Echinocactus capricornus Dietrich with
var. minor Runge u. Quehl
1922 Britton, N.L.; Rose, J.N. published in Vol. 3 the genus Astrophytum with four species:
Astrophytum myriostigma Lem.
var. columnaris and
var. nudus „in the trade“
Astrophytum asterias (Zucc.) Lemaire
Astrophytum capricorne (Dietrich)
var. minor Purpus, C.A.
Astrophytum ornatum (De Candolle) Weber
1926 Berger, A. knows under Echinocactus the genus Astrophytum with „3-4 species“
Astrophytum capricorne
Astrophytum myriostigma
Astrophytum asterias
1927 Möller, H. counts 4 species with some subspecies and varieties. He won his knowledge from imported plants which were sent by his brother Moeller, A.F. to Germany. His documents are very important in Astrophytum literature.
Echinocactus asterias with
var. nudus
Echinocactus capricornus with
var. minor
var. senilis
var aureus
var crassispinus
Echinocactus myriostigma with
subspecies quadricostatus
subspecies potosina which contains again two varieties:
............var. columnaris
............var. nudus
subspecies coahuilensis
Echinocactus ornatus with
var. glabrescens
var. Mirbelii
1929 Berger, A. mentions under Echinocactus the genus Astrophytum with the following species and varieties:
Echinocactus myriostigma
subsp. coahuilensis Möller
subsp. potosinus Möller
var. nudus Hort.
var. columnaris Hort.
var. quadricostatus Möller
Echinocactus asterias
Echinocactus capricornis
var. minor Runge u. Quehl
var. senilis Fric
var. aureus Möller
var. crassispinus Möller,
Echinocactus ornatus
var. Mirbelii K. Schumann
var. glabrescens Weber
1930 Moeller, A.F. (not correct changed by Houghton, A. D., 1930). He treated only Astrophytum myriostigma and mixed in his contribution species, variety and form. The following overview shall give an impression of his article:
Astrophytum myriostigma:
var. potosina
var. columnaris
var. nuda
var. tamaulipensis
var. quadricostata
Astrophytum coahuilensis as an own species, although he speaks from A. myriostigma later again.
1935 Kreuzinger, K. treats Astrophytum capricorne v. senile as an own species and follows Fric. Astrophytum coahuilense is in his systematic between Astrophytum capricorne v. minus and Astrophytum capricorne v. senile. He states a narrow relationship to Astrophytum capricorne and the corresponding fruit.
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum capricorne
Astrophytum capricorne crassispina
Astrophytum capricorne crassispina nuda
Astrophytum capricorne minor
Astrophytum senile
Astrophytum myriostigma coahuilensis
Astrophytum myriostigma
Astrophytum myriostigma nuda
Astrophytum myriostigma potosina
Astrophytum myriostigma quadricostata
Astrophytum myriostigma tamaulipense
Astrophytum ornatum
1933 Okumura. The original work is not available. Here a reconstruction by the work of:
by Megata:
"Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum capricorne
var. minor
var. senile
var. aureum
var. crassispinum
var niveum
Astrophytum myriostigma
subsp. coahuilense
subsp. potosinum v. nudum Hort.
Astrophytum ornatum
var. Mirbelli
var. glabrescens"
by Backeberg:
"Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum capricorne
var. crassispinum with the forms
........forma minor
........forma major
var. minus
var. niveum
var. senile
var. aureum
Astrophytum myriostigma
subsp. coahuilense
subsp. quadricostatum
subsp. potosinum with
.......var. nudum Hort.
.......var. columnare Hort.
var. columnare
f. tulense Hort.
f. tricostata Hort.
Astrophytum ornatum
var. glabrescens
var. mirbelii"
1937 Borg, J. with many severe faults (Astrophytum capricorne var. majus Hort. (=crassispinum), var. niveum Hort.??)
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum capricorne
var. majus Hort. (=crassispinum)
var. niveum Hort.
var. minus
var. senile
var. aureum
Astrophytum myriostigma
var. quadricostata
var. coahuilensis
var. potosina
var. tulensis Hort.
Astrophytum ornatum
var. Mirbellii
var. glabrescens
1938 Werdermann-Socnic, the systematic was known for a long time as one of the best. But from the modern view the status of Astrophytum coahuilense under A. myriostigma had to be corrected. Also a subspecies „potosinum“ under A. myriostigma is wrong because this is the type-plant from Lemaire growing in San Luis Potosi.
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum capricorne
var. aureum
var. crassispinum
var minor
var. niveum
var. senile
Astrophytum myriostigma
subsp. coahuilensis
subsp. potosinum
subsp. quadricostatum
Astrophytum ornatum
var. glabrescens
var. Mirbelii
1944 Megata, M. has built the modern systematic, Hoock, H. is a follower in many aspects:
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum coahuilense
Astrophytum capricorne
var. minor
var. senile
var. aureum
var. crassispinum
var. niveum
Astrophytum myriostigma
var. nudum
Astrophytum ornatum
var. glabrescens
var. Mirbelii
1944 Gilkey, J. E. made in ”The Astrophytum Group” many errors which he collected from other authors:
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum capricorne
var. major
var. minor
var. crassispinum
var. senilis
var. aurea
Astrophytum myriostigma
var. coahuilensis
var. potosina
var. tamaulipensis
var. quadricostata
var. columnaris
var. nuda
Astrophytum ornatum
var. mirbelii
var. glabrescens
var. glaucens
1957 Haage, W.; Sadovsky, O. split the genus Astrophytum into many not valid species:
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum coahuilense
Astrophytum niveum
Astrophytum capricorne
Astrophytum capricorne v. minor
Astrophytum senile
Astrophytum crassispinum
Astrophytum myriostigma tulense
Astrophytum myriostigma potosinum
Astrophytum myriostigma jaumavense
Astrophytum ornatum
1960 Backeberg is like Sadovsky a „splitter“ in the genus Astrophytum although he had much field-experience:
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum capricorne
var. minus
var. niveum
var. crassispinum
Astrophytum senile
var. aureum
Astrophytum coahuilense
Astrophytum myriostigma
subvar. glabrum
subvar. nudum
subvar. tulense
var. potosinum
var. strongylogonum
var. quadricostatum
var. columnare
Astrophytum ornatum
subvar. glabrescens
var. mirbelii
1979 Hirao, H. follows in many parts Backeberg. Additional he has:
Astrophytum asterias f. nudum
Astrophytum myriostigma f. tricostatum and
Astrophytum ornatum f. spirale
1981, 1952 Ito, Y. represents with many new names the gardener-line in Japan, also Sato, T. 1995 ff: Most names have no scientific background like the count of ribs, special formed flowers („striatipetalum“), loss of chlorophyll („aureovariegatum“), areas of collected white dots („pubesente“) or crested forms („cristatum“).
Astrophytum asterias
f. cristatum Hort.
f. aureovariegatum Hort.
f. striatipetalum
var. nudum
var. pubesente
Astrophytum capricorne
var. niveum
var. crassispinum
var. crassispinum nudum
var. majus
var. minus
Astrophytum senile
var. aureum
Astrophytum myriostigma
var. coahuilense
var. coahuilense f. cristatum
var. coahuilense pubesente
var. quadricostatum
var. quadricostatum pubesente
f. cristatum Hort.
var. caespitoum
var. tulense
f. tricostatum Hort.
var. nudum
var. nudum octogonum
var. nudum pubescente
var. columnare
var. columnare octogonum
Astrophytum ornatum
var. mirbelii
var. glabrescens
var. glabrescens f. spirale Hort.
var. pubesente
2003 Hoock, H. The system is based upon the definition of Ernst MAYR and the systematic of Megata, although his section Austrastrophytum should be named Astrophytum following the valid rules of the ICBN. The accepted varieties also mostly own isolated habitats, but have to be discussed. This is done in the separated chapters of www.astrobase.de.
section Austrastrophytum Megata
(by ICBN Astrophytum)
Astrophytum myriostigma (type of the genus) with:
var. nudum
subsp. tulense
subsp. tamaulipense
Astrophytum ornatum with:
var. mirbelii
section Septentriastrophytum Megata
Astrophytum asterias
Astrophytum coahuilense
Astrophytum capricorne with:
var. aureum
var. crassispinum (doubtful)
var. niveum and here:
.......forma nudum
var. minus with:
......cv. crassispinoides Hort.
var. senile
subgenus Stimatodactylus Hunt
Astrophytum caput-medusae
genus Astrophytum
key to the species
introduction to the genus
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