Accepted Scientific Name: Ariocarpus retusus Scheidw.
Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Bruxelles 5: 492 (t. 1). 1838
Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli
Origin and Habitat: Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)
Synonyms:
See all synonyms of Ariocarpus retusus
back
Accepted name in llifle Database:Ariocarpus retusus Scheidw.Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Bruxelles 5: 492 (t. 1). 1838Synonymy: 31
Accepted name in llifle Database:Ariocarpus retusus subs. trigonus (F.A.C.Weber) E.F.Anderson & W.A.Fitz Maur.Haseltonia 5: 18. 1998 [1997 publ. 1998]Synonymy: 7
Cultivars
(11):
back
Description: There are several sligtly different monstrous cultivars that differ from the standard solitary Ariocarpus furfuraceusSN|2081]]SN|2081]] for the free branching habit, for the thinner elongated stems and for the copious production of wool. The distinctive characteristic of this plants are the tubercles, which are stubby, large or equilaterally triangular shaped, divergent, convex or nearly flattened with shallow adaxial undulations or wrinkling, not fissured, 1.5-2 cm long, 1-3 cm wide.
Stem: Globose to elongated, rounded on top, about 3-10 cm high, 3-6 cm in diameter (Often grafted specimens grows much more larger depending on grafting stock). The stems are grey, or blue-green often flushed in violet in full sun and, typically, the new growth (especially if grafted) take a pink colouring.
Areoles: At the tips of the tubercles, rounded, 1-5 mm in diameter with abundant white wool in the axil.
Flowers: Not known
Root: Tap root
Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Ariocarpus retusus group
- Ariocarpus confusus Halda & Horáček: intermediates between Ariocarpus retusus and Ariocarpus trigonus flower color, white through to magenta, a color not found in any other populations. Distribution: Aramberri region.
- Ariocarpus elongatus (Salm-Dyck) Wettst.: has longer an narrower tubercles than Ariocarpus retusus. Distribution: Huizache, San Luis Potosí.
- Ariocarpus furfuraceus C.H.Thomps.: has equilaterally triangular shaped tubercles.
- Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. cristata Frič: crested form.
- Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus hort.: Free branching plants with thinner elongated stems and copious production of wool. There are several different clones.
- Ariocarpus furfuraceus var. rostratus A.Berger: (Ariocarpus retusus var. furfuraceus ''rostratus'') Refers to plants with a more tapered apex to the tubercle.
- Ariocarpus retusus Scheidw.: (ssp. retusus) Widespread, flowers are cream or white, occasionally with reddish midveins.
- Ariocarpus retusus f. cristata hort.: is a slow-growing crested cactus forming with fan shaped stems that will slowly forms brain-shaped cushion up to 3-12 cm high and 70 cm in diameter, or more.
- Ariocarpus retusus subs. horacekii Halda & Panar.: like Ariocarpus trigonus but smaller. Distribution: South of Matehuala, San Luis Potosí.
- Ariocarpus retusus subs. jarmilae Halda, Horáček & Panar.: nomina nuda
- Ariocarpus retusus subs. panarottoi Halda & Horáček: Nomina nuda.
- Ariocarpus retusus subs. pectinatus Weisbarth: It has, dull pectinated spines already present in young specimens up to 1,2 to 2,0 mm long. The spines persist with the age. Areoles at the tips and extending on the upper side of the tubercles, elongated 2 to 20 mm long, wooly.
- Ariocarpus retusus subs. scapharostroides Halda & Horáček: Plants from the Villa Juarez region of SLP, it is characterized by erect angular tubercles, superficially reminiscent of Ariocarpus scapharostrus.
- Ariocarpus retusus var. sladkovskyi Halda & Kupčák
- Ariocarpus retusus subs. trigonus (F.A.C.Weber) E.F.Anderson & W.A.Fitz Maur.: (Ariocarpus retusus ssp. trigonus) Somewhat less widespread with long sharp tubercles twice as long as wide. The flowers are yellow (usually), white to pinkish white.
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Cauliflower: has a completely or partially warty skin that gives it an aspect of cauliflower.
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Cauliflower King: This is a variant of cv. cauliflower with bigger, if not huge, tubercles giving an overall appearance rather globular.
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Frumdosus: Unlike the type species, this cultivar has not convex, bulging tubers, but flat and smooth giving them an aspect of tetrahedron.
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Frumdosus brevituberosus
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Frumdosus f. variegata
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Maruibo: Unlike the type species that has more or less triangular tubers, here they take a round shape and looks like small spheres ending with a large woolly areolae.
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Maruibo Cauliflower: A pretty good combination of "Maruibo" and "Cauliflower" character.
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Maruibo Pectinatus: is characterized by the swollen tubercles of "Maruibo" together with the very woolly and sometimes prickly central groove of "Pectinatus".
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Mituibo: (a.k.a. cv. Three Finger or Tresfinger)The tip of each tubercles is split into three points as three fingers, a bit like a trident with a large central section and two smaller ones on each side.
- Ariocarpus retusus cv. Tama Botan: (a.k.a. Ariocarpus retusus var. major) It is a cultivated selection with very wide leaflike, divergent tubercles. The tubercles are 3,5 to 5 cm wide, and are as wide as long or wider in adult specimens.
Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus Photo by: Cactus Art Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus Photo by: Cactus Art Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Ariocarpus furfuraceus f. monstruosus Photo by: Cactus Art Cultivation and Propagation: The plants of this cultivars are often grafted to accelerate growth as they are extremely slow growing on their own roots, but the grafted plants are typical rather tall growing, compared with plants on their own roots that are usually more flat to the ground. The plants need deep pots to accommodate the napiform unit formed by the stem base and the rootstock (or they will often simply crack your pots), and a loose mineral soil with a well-drained substrate. They need a good amount of light. Watering can be done weekly during summertime, if the weather is sunny enough, with a little fertilizer added. Kept this way, plants will show a healthy, although slow growth.
Propagation: Usually by grafting or occasionally by cuttings in late spring to summer, just take a cutting of the plant let it dry for 1 or 2 weeks and stuff it in the ground (preferably dry, loose, extremely well draining soil).
Your Photos
by Valentino Vallicelli
by Valentino Vallicelli