Coryphantha (from Greek, "flowering on the top"), or beehive cactus, is a genus of small to middle-sized, globose or columnar cacti. The genus is native to arid parts of Central America, Mexico, through Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas and north into southwestern, central, and southeastern Montana. With its two subgenera, 57 species and 20 subspecies, it is one of the largest genera of cactus.Dicht, Reto F. and Lüthy, Adrian D. (2005) Coryphantha: Cacti of Mexico and Southern USA. Springer, Berlin, p. 1,
Description There are four characteristics that distinguish Coryphantha from other cacti. Their bodies do not have ribs, just tubercles.Dicht, Reto F. and Lüthy, Adrian D. (2005) "3.2 Tubercles" Coryphantha: Cacti of Mexico and Southern USA. Springer, Berlin, pp. 9–12, The flowers form at the top of the plant (the apex or growing end of the stem). The tip (podarium) of each flowering tubercle has three parts, the spiny areole, the groove and the axil. Without the groove it is not a Coryphantha. The seed coat (or testa) has a net-like pattern (reticulate).Dicht, Reto F. and Lüthy, Adrian D. (2005) "3.7 Seeds" Coryphantha: Cacti of Mexico and Southern USA. Springer, Berlin, p. 17-20, More than many other cacti, the Coryphantha change in their appearance over their lifespan.Dicht, Reto F. and Lüthy, Adrian D. (2005) Coryphantha: Cacti of Mexico and Southern USA. Springer, Berlin, p. 2, The presence or absence of a central spine is not indicative of the genus, even in fully adult plants.
Name The name Coryphantha was first applied by George Engelmann in 1856 as a subgenus,Anderson, Edward F. (2001) "Coryphantha" The Cactus Family. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, p. 186, the earlier name Aulacothele of Lemaire having been abandoned.Dicht, Reto F. and Lüthy, Adrian D. (2005) Coryphantha: Cacti of Mexico and Southern USA. Springer, Berlin, p. 23, In 1868 Lemaire promoted the group to genus level. Before this all Coryphantha had been classified as Mammillaria.
Species Image Scientific name Subspecies Distribution Coryphantha clavata Coryphantha clavata subsp. clavata Coryphantha clavata subsp. stipitata Mexico Coryphantha compacta Mexico (to Sonora) Coryphantha cornifera Mexico Coryphantha delaetiana Mexico. Coryphantha delicata Mexico. Coryphantha difficilis Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí) Coryphantha durangensis Coryphantha durangensis subsp. cuencamensis Coryphantha durangensis subsp. durangensisMexico (Durango, Coahuila). Coryphantha echinoidea Mexico Coryphantha echinus Central Texas to NE. Mexico Coryphantha elephantidens Coryphantha elephantidens subsp. bumamma Coryphantha elephantidens subsp. elephantidens Coryphantha elephantidens subsp. greenwoodii Mexico. Coryphantha erecta Mexico (to Veracruz) Coryphantha georgii Mexico. Coryphantha glanduligera Mexico (to Jalisco). Coryphantha glassii Mexico (Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí). Coryphantha gracilis Mexico (Chihuahua). Coryphantha hintoniorum Coryphantha hintoniorum subsp. geoffreyi Coryphantha hintoniorum subsp. hintoniorumMexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí)Coryphantha ibarrana Matusz. & ŠnicerMexico (Durango) Coryphantha jalpanensis Mexico (Querétaro to Hidalgo) Coryphantha kracikii Mexico (Durango) Coryphantha longicornis Mexico (Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango) Coryphantha maiz-tablasensis Mexico (to Jalisco) Coryphantha neglecta Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León). Coryphantha nickelsiae Texas to Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León) Coryphantha octacantha Mexico (to Jalisco). Coryphantha ottonis Mexico. Coryphantha pallida Coryphantha pallida subsp. calipensis Coryphantha pallida subsp. pallida Coryphantha pallida subsp. pseudoradians Mexico (Veracruz, Puebla, Oaxaca) Coryphantha poselgeriana Mexico. Coryphantha potosiana Mexico (Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas) Coryphantha pseudoechinus Coryphantha pseudoechinus subsp. laui Coryphantha pseudoechinus subsp. pseudoechinus Mexico. Coryphantha pseudonickelsiae Mexico (Durango, Chihuahua, Coahuila) Coryphantha pulleineana Mexico (Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí) Coryphantha pycnacantha Mexico. Coryphantha ramillosa Coryphantha ramillosa subsp. ramillosa Coryphantha ramillosa subsp. santarosa SW. Texas to NE. Mexico Coryphantha recurvata Coryphantha recurvata subsp. canatlanensis Coryphantha recurvata subsp. recurvata Arizona to Mexico (Sonora) Coryphantha retusa Mexico (Puebla, Oaxaca) Coryphantha robustispina Coryphantha robustispina subsp. robustispina Coryphantha robustispina subsp. scheeri Arizona to SW. New Mexico and Mexico (Sonora) Coryphantha salinensis . Mexico Coryphantha sulcata Texas to Mexico (Coahuila, Tamualipas, Nuevo León) Coryphantha tripugionacantha Mexico (Zacatecas, Jalisco) Coryphantha vaupeliana Mexico (Tamaulipas, Durango, Zacatecas) Coryphantha vogtherriana Mexico (Jalisco to San Luis Potosí) Coryphantha werdermannii Mexico (Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango) Coryphantha wohlschlageri Mexico (Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí)
Synonymy The genus has two valid synonyms: Cumarinia Buxb. and Lepidocoryphantha Backeb. and three invalid ones: Aulacothele Monv. (nom. inval.) Glandulifera (Salm-Dyck) Fric (nom. inval.) Roseia Fric (nom. inval.)
Related genera A number of Coryphantha have previously been classified in other genera, indeed the type species C. sulcata was originally named Mammillaria sulcataBritton, Nathaniel Lord and Brown, Addison (1913) An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British possessions, from Newfoundland to the parallel of the southern boundary of Virginia, and from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the 102d meridian (2nd edition) Scribner, New York, pp. 1–3, Other examples include Echinocactus salinensis Poselger 1853 now Coryphantha salinensis (Poselger) Dicht and A.Lüthy 1998Dicht, Reto F. and Lüthy, Adrian D. (1998) "Im Feld wiederaufgefunden: Coryphantha salinensis (Poselger) Kakteen und andere Sukkulenten 49(11): pp. 256ff., in German and Neolloydia pulleineana Blackberg 1948 now Coryphantha pulleineana (Blackberg) Glass 1968.Glass, Charles (1968) "Cactaceas Mexicanas Poco conocidas" Cactaceas y Suculentas Mexicanas 2: pp. 34ff., in Spanish
Similarly, a number of other species have been previously classified as Coryphantha. For example, Escobaria vivipara was called Coryphantha vivipara.Hunt, David R. and Benson, Lyman (1976) "The lectotype of Coryphantha". Cactus and Succulent Journal (U.S.) 48: pp. 72ff.
Gallery
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile for Coryphantha (beehive cactus) USDA Plants Profile: gallery of Coryphantha images