= Ariocarpus retusus subs. horacekii Halda & Panar.
Acta Mus. Richnov., Sect. Nat. 5(4): 163 (1998), as 'horaceki'
Accepted Scientific Name: Ariocarpus retusus subs. trigonus (F.A.C.Weber) E.F.Anderson & W.A.Fitz Maur.
Haseltonia 5: 18. 1998 [1997 publ. 1998]
Ariocarpus elongatus subs. horacekii (Ariocarpus retusus subs. horacekii) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli
Origin and Habitat: South of Matehuala, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
Synonyms:
See all synonyms of Ariocarpus retusus
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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):
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Description: Ariocarpus retususSN|2079]]SN|2079]] subs. horacekii differs from the standard Ariocarpus retususSN|2094]]SN|2079]] subs. trigonus only for its smaller body, all the other characteristics, namely tubercles shape and flowers colour clearly show that they are conspecific.
Ariocarpus trigonusSN|2079]]SN|2094]] is quite variable and has received numerous unnecessary names of no botanical value, representing no more than local phenotypes: Ariocarpus retususSN|2079]]SN|2079]] subs. horacekii one of them.
Habit: Solitary rosette-forming, geophytic cactus rising slightly above ground level.
Stem: Globose, more or less depressed, rounded on top, mostly yellowish-green.
Tubercles: Upright yellow/brownish grey, divergent, not closely set or basally compressed, acute at the apices, flattened and smooth adaxially, not fissured, strongly incurved, usually twice as long as wide.
Areoles: It bears only small basal areoles.
Roots: Tap root.
Flowers: Cream-white to yellowish-white or yellow (occasionally with reddish mid-ribs) with a satin sheen, 3 to 5 cm in diameter up to 4 cm long.
Blooming season: Flowers come in late autumn or early winter.
Fruit: Whitish or greenish, 7-20 mm long, 5-10 mm across.
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.
Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
2) Del Weniger “Cacti of the Southwest: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana” University of Texas Press, 1969
3) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey "The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass" Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
4) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
5) Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names” Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010
6) N. L. Britton, J. N. Rose: “The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family.” Volume III, The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1922
7) E. F. Anderson and W. A. Fitz Maurice "Ariocarpus revisited." Haseltonia 5: 1-20. 1997).
8) Anderson, E. F. "Ariocarpus: Some reminiscences." Cart. Succ. J. (US) 71:180-190, 1999)
9) Stuart Max Walters “The European garden flora. 3.[Angiospermae], Dicotyledons. [Casuarinaceae to Aristolochiaceae]” Cambridge University Press, 1989
Cultivation and Propagation: Ariocarpus retususSN|2079]]SN|2079]] subs. horacekii is not too difficult in a greenhouse, although it grows extremely slowly (it starts blooming at the age of 8-12 years).
Soil: Use a loose mineral cactus mix with extra perlite or pumice and clay pots help the plants to dry out between watering.
Repotting: 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). Generally, they should be repotted frequently at least every other year in order to provide fresh soil. However, old plants become senile and have a tendency to succumb to disease and a weak root system. At this stage, as is well known, they die suddenly. So, after they reach 10-15 cm in diameter grow them slowly, and adopt a new repotting period, using intervals of every 3 years. Additionally grow them under drier conditions or with stronger sunlight. However, repotting doesn't necessarily mean they'll need larger containers.
Sun Exposure: Partial sun or light shade. They need a good amount of light, a place near the roof of the greenhouse helps drying the pot after watering.
Watering: They require moderately watering through the growing season. This can be done weekly during the summertime, if the weather is sunny enough, with a little fertilizer added. Kept this way, plants will show a healthy, although slow growth. Keep dry as soon as the temperature starts dropping in October and keep it perfectly dry in winter at temperatures from 5 to 15 degrees centigrade.
Hardiness: Winter care presents no problems at 5°C with plenty of light., but frost hardy to -10°C.
Pest and diseases: They are generally fairly easy to grow, especially if kept pest-free. They are susceptible to stem and root mealy bugs, and damage from these may well initiate fungal attack.
Propagation: By seeds, remembering that seedlings dislike strong light and dry conditions, but the grafted plants are typically rather tall- growing, compared with plants on their own roots, that are usually flatter to the ground.