Myrtillocactus schenckii

Myrtillocactus schenckii, also known as garambullo or vichishovo, is a species of cacti native to Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico. Placed in the genus Myrtillocactus, it is a member of the large and diverse family Cactaceae.[2][3]

Myrtillocactus schenckii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Myrtillocactus
Species:
M. schenckii
Binomial name
Myrtillocactus schenckii
(J.A.Purpus) Britton & Rose

Description

Arborescent, erect cactus, up to 2–7 m tall. Short main stem, with branches up to 10 cm wide, shaped like a "chandelier", much branched near the base of the trunk, stems 6–12 cm in diameter, with 6–8 ribs, bluish-green. Radial spines, whose length is from 0.5 to 1.2 cm and from 0.5 to 0.8 mm wide, ending in a point at the top, straight, rigid, black and greyish. Central spine between 1 and sometimes absent, between 1 and 5 cm long and between 0.8 and 1 mm wide, greyish or black in color and straight. Flowers, axillary, to 3.5 cm wide and 3 cm broad, yellowish-green to yellowish-white. Fruits, red, globose or ellipsiodal, 8–15 mm in diameter, sometimes with a few weak spines.[4] Juicy red or brown pulp. Asymmetric, oval seed 1.1 to 1.5 mm long by 8 to 1.2 mm wide, black in color and wrinkled in appearance.[5]

  • Adult plant
    Adult plant
  • Spines
    Spines
  • Fruit
    Fruit
  • Flowers
    Flowers

Distribution and habitat

This species has a distribution restricted to the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Puebla.[6] Outside of Mexico, it has been registered in Guatemala. This species is characteristic of the xeric scrublands and transition areas with low deciduous forest. This species is characteristic of arid and semi-arid climate, they are generally found in gypsum and limestone soils, often with high salt content, as is the case in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley.[7] It is distributed in an altitudinal range of 1,300 to 2,000 m.[6][8] The places where the species is distributed, present a dry, arid, semi-warm climate, with a marked wet season in the summer, where the average annual rainfall is between 380 and 450 mm and its average temperature throughout the year is of 21.2 °C.[9]

Taxonomy

The first description as Cereus schenckii was published in 1909 by Joseph Anton Purpus.[10] The specific epithet schenckii honors the German botanist Heinrich Schenck. Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose placed the species in the genus Myrtillocactus in the same year

References
  1. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  2. "Myrtillocactus schenckii". Llifle.com. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  3. "Garambullo". Desert Tropicals. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  4. Martínez M. (1979). Catálogo de nombres vulgares y científicos de plantas mexicanas. Botas. México D.F.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. Franco Estrada, Daniel (2013). Catálogo ilustrado de cactáceas columnares del Valle de Tehuacán –Cuicatlán (Licenciat of biology thesis). Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala. Universidad nacional Autónoma de México. México. p. 180.
  6. Arias S. (1997). Suculentas mexicanas: Cactáceas Distribución, grupos taxonómicos y formas de vida. México D. F.: PROFEPA, UNAM y CUCC. CVS publicaciones. p. 143.
  7. Stacey A. Weller. Plantas de la Reserva de la Biósfera Tehuacan-Cuicatlán. Vol. l: Especies de Puebla. Peace Corps México. USAID.
  8. Guzmán U. S. Arias; P. Dávila (2003). Catálogo de cactáceas mexicanas. México: UNAM/CONABIO. p. 315.
  9. Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. p. 437. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.
  10. "Monatsschrift für Kakteenkunde". J. Neumann. 1908. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
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