Nickels' Cactus

Description

Coryphantha nickelsiae is a species of plant in the genus Coryphantha of the cactus family (Cactaceae). The specific epithet nickelsiae honors the Texan cactus collector Anna B. Nickels. Coryphantha nickelsiae grows singly or in low groups. The globular glauk - dark green shoots reach heights of growth of up to 11 centimeters with a diameter of 5 to 7 centimeters. The shoots are almost completely hidden by the overlapping thorns. The soft fleshy warts, up to 10 millimeters long, are blunt conical. Occasionally they have nectar glands. The mostly single erect central spine, which may occasionally be absent, is straight or slightly curved and 1.1 to 1.6 centimeters long. The 13 to 20 crowded white radial spines have lengths of 1 to 2.3 centimeters. The light yellow flowers reach a diameter of 4.5 to 5 centimeters. The gray-green or bright green fruits are up to 2.3 centimeters long. Coryphantha nickelsiae is distributed among shrubs on limestone gravel in the United States in southern Texas and in the Mexican states of Coahuila and Nuevo León. thefirst descriptionas Mammillaria nickelsiae byMary Katharine Brandegeewas published in 1900. Nathaniel Lord BrittonotherJoseph Nelson Roseplaced the species in the genus Coryphantha in 1923. Anomenclatural synonymis Coryphantha sulcata var. nickelsiae (K. Brandegee) LDBenson (1969). Coryphantha nickelsiae is classified as Least Concern (LC) in the IUCNRed List of Threatened Species. H. not endangered, classified.