View source for Astrophytum

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Astrophytum
|accepted_authority=Lemaire
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=Cact. Gen. Sp. Nov.,
|place=3. 1839
|year=1839
}}
|basionyms=
|synonyms=
|hierarchy=Cactaceae;Cactaceae subfam. Cactoideae;Astrophytum
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Cactaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>subfamily</small>[[Cactaceae subfam. Cactoideae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Astrophytum]]</div></div>
|etymology=Greek asteros, star, in reference to the star-shaped stem cross section of the type species, and phyton, plant
|volume=Volume 4
|mention_page=page 96
|treatment_page=page 191
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Plants </b>stem succulents, unbranched [to several branched from base], mostly low and deep-seated in substrate [taller in Mexican species]. <b>Roots</b> diffuse. <b>Stem</b> unsegmented, dark green or gray-green, hemispheric or depressed-spheric [to spheric or short cylindric], (2.5–)6–15(–60)[–100] × 6–10(–20) cm, speckled [or entirely hidden] by numerous tufts of dense, whitish, multicellular hairs less than 0.5 mm; ribs [4–]8–10, crests uninterrupted, straight [to sinuous and/or helically curving around stem], broad and nearly flat or rounded [sharp or keeled]; areoles distinct, [2–]6–9[–20] mm apart along ribs, circular; areolar glands absent; cortex and pith hard, not mucilaginous. <b>Spines</b> absent [1–25 per areole in some Mexican species]. <b>Flowers</b> diurnal, near stem apex, at adaxial edge of areoles, funnelform, 4.5–5.4[–8] × 3.8–5.2[–6] cm; inner tepals yellow, proximally red [all yellow], 25 × 6–10[–12] mm, margins entire; ovary sparsely to densely scaly, axils spineless long hairy with arachnoid trichomes, distal scales spine-tipped; stigma lobes [8–]10–12, yellow [pale yellowish], 4 mm. <b>Fruits</b> indehiscent or splitting irregularly, green or pinkish to red, ovoid to spheric, 15–20 × 12 mm, initially fleshy, drying immediately after ripening, sparsely to densely scaly with spine-tipped scales; axils of scales long woolly, spineless; floral remnant persistent. <b>Seeds</b> dark brown to blackish, appearing hollow or bowl-shaped from strongly expanded, inrolled rim around sunken hilum, 2–3 mm in greatest dimension, nearly smooth; testa cells very slightly convex. <b>x</b> = 11.</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|distribution=sw United States;Mexico.
|discussion=<p>Species 4–5 (1 in the flora).</p><!--
--><p><i>Astrophytum</i> is most often recognized as a distinct genus. Chloroplast DNA evidence (C. A. Butterworth et al. 2002), however, confirms that it is among the closest relatives of <i>Echinocactus</i>. Unlike <i>Echinocactus</i>, the stem surfaces of <i>Astrophytum</i> species are speckled by numerous tiny white tufts of minute, matted hairs in addition to the regularly spaced woolly areoles.</p>
|tables=
|references=
}}<!--

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-->{{#Taxon:
name=Astrophytum
|author=Allan D. Zimmerman;Bruce D. Parfitt
|authority=Lemaire
|rank=genus
|parent rank=subfamily
|synonyms=
|basionyms=
|family=Cactaceae
|distribution=sw United States;Mexico.
|reference=None
|publication title=Cact. Gen. Sp. Nov.,
|publication year=1839
|special status=
|source xml=https://bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation/src/2e0870ddd59836b60bcf96646a41e87ea5a5943a/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V4/V4_359.xml
|subfamily=Cactaceae subfam. Cactoideae
|genus=Astrophytum
}}<!--

-->[[Category:Treatment]][[Category:Cactaceae subfam. Cactoideae]]