Autor: Britton & Rose • ETYMOLOGY “Flower on the nipple”, because in this genus, flowers are situated at the top of the tubercles of the species. • DESCRIPTION A genus of tiny plants, solitary to densely branched, variable in shape, size, spination, and colour. Stem more or less flattened, clavate, covered by dense tiny spines. Central…
Autor: Haworth • ETYMOLOGY “On the leaf” referring to the flowers which seemed, to early botanists, to appear on leaves, in fact modified stems (phylloclades). • DESCRIPTION A genus of usually epiphytic plants, with flattened stems having the aspect and the function of leaves (phylloclades) often with adventitious roots, with variable margins according to species, crenulate,…
Autor: Zuccarini • ETYMOLOGY “Similar to a hedgehog (or an urchin)” referring to the typical, globose and spiny aspect of the species within this genus. • DESCRIPTION Genus of plants globose to more or less elongated with age, sometimes cereoid, often caespitose, with ribs often protruding and more or less flattened. Spines straight or curved, aciculate…
Autor: Britton & Rose • ETYMOLOGY “Breast-hedgehog (or urchin)” by analogy, because the species of the genus are globose and covered with spines. • DESCRIPTION A genus of solitary plants, globose to shortly cylindrical, radial spines usually covering the epidermis, aciculate, central spine sometimes absent. Spiralled low ribs, tubercles having a groove on the top, the…
Autor: Lawrence • ETYMOLOGY “Cactus hedgehog (or urchin) with grooves (or furrows)”, characterizing both the spiny character of the genus, and the fact that it has strongly grooved ribs. • DESCRIPTION A genus of low-growing, rather small plants, globose flattened to shortly cylindrical, usually solitary, sometimes weakly caespitose, with ribs often numerous (up to 120), fine…