Origin and Habitat: Gymnocalycium alboareolatum is known from only one population with an extent of occurrence of less than 100 km2 in La Rioja (area around Villa Bustos), Argentina. The species is locally abundant but there is a continuing decline of mature individuals.
Altitude range: 800-1,100 (-1,500?) metres above sea level.
Habitat and ecology: The species occurs in monte shrubland. It usually occurs buried in the ground making it very difficult to see when not in flower or fruit. It grows in gravelly slope. The major threat for the species is urban development, the only known populations grows at the edge of a town that is expanding. Parts of the population have been affected by urbanization already and this will not cease in the near future. Hence the species is listed as Critically Endangered. The species is not known to be used or traded.

• Gymnocalycium kieslingii f. alboareolatum O.Ferrari

• Gymnocalycium kieslingii O.Ferrari
• Gymnocalycium baldianum var. albiflorum C.A.L.Bercht
• Gymnocalycium kieslingii f. alboareolatum O.Ferrari
• Gymnocalycium kieslingii f. castaneum O.Ferrari
• Gymnocalycium kieslingii subs. frankianum (Rausch ex H.Till & Amerh.) Slaba
• Gymnocalycium frankianum Rausch ex H.Till & Amerh.

Description: Gymnocalycium alboareolatum is a beautiful species, of modest size, particularly attractive for its beautiful solitary, gray-green, flattened stems less than 6 cm in diameter with very prominent white areoles. The flowers are silvery white often pink flushed usually in clusters from June to September.
Note: Gymnocalycium alboareolatum was published by Rausch, in Succulenta 64(10): 213-214, 1985. The name was published with the spelling "alboareolatum”, but has been corrected into "albiareolatum" according to Art. 60.8 and Ree. 60G.
Derivation of specific name: The species name means 'white areoles' from Latin 'albus', white and Latin 'areola', areole.
Stem: Solitary, spherical-flattened, to 6 cm in diameter, gray-green, glaucous, barely rising above ground level with a swollen underground root system.
Ribs: 9-11, straight with well-defined chinlike protrusions to up to 1 cm in height.
Areoles: Quite large, 5 mm thick, with thick white hair.
Central spines: Absent.
Radial spines: 6-7, bent, curving back toward the body, hard, brown, 1 cm in length.
Flowers: Silver-white on the outside, pink inside, outer perianth segments with a green stripe to 6.5 cm long and 4.5 cm in diameter.
Fruits: Oval, to club shaped, blue-green, glaucous, 25-30 mm long.