Badmin: Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Epithelantha | image = Epithelantha_micromeris.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Cacteae | genus = '''Epithelantha''' | authority = Britton & Rose (1922) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015), incorporating the revision by Donati & Zanovello (2010). }} == Etymology == The name is derived from the Greek, meaning "flower on the nipple," referring to the fact that the flowers emerge fr..."

2026-04-05T17:09:27Z

Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Epithelantha | image = Epithelantha_micromeris.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Cacteae | genus = '''Epithelantha''' | authority = Britton & Rose (1922) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015), incorporating the revision by Donati & Zanovello (2010). }} == Etymology == The name is derived from the Greek, meaning "flower on the nipple," referring to the fact that the flowers emerge fr..."

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{{Taxobox
| name = Epithelantha
| image = Epithelantha_micromeris.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribe = [[Cacteae]]
| genus = '''Epithelantha'''
| authority = Britton & Rose (1922)
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015), incorporating the revision by Donati & Zanovello (2010).
}}

== Etymology ==
The name is derived from the Greek, meaning "flower on the nipple," referring to the fact that the flowers emerge from the tips of the tubercles.

== Description ==
'''Epithelantha''' consists of tiny, globose to flattened cacti that can be solitary or form dense clumps.
* '''Stems:''' The stems are often clavate and completely covered by a dense network of tiny spines.
* '''Spines:''' Radial and central spines are usually indistinguishable from one another.
* '''Flowers:''' Diurnal and very small, emerging from the apex. They are typically white to pale pink and pollinated by small insects; ''E. micromeris'' is notably self-fertile.
* '''Fruits:''' Elongated, red, and naked (without scales or spines), containing only a few seeds.
* '''Seeds:''' Black, shiny, and helmet-shaped.

== Habitat ==
Epithelantha species typically grow on limestone or basaltic soils[cite: 1014]. They are often found in rock crevices or hidden among desert grasses and shrubs, appearing highly mimetic[cite: 1014]. Their altitudinal range is broad, from 300 m to 2300 m[cite: 1014].

== Distribution ==
* '''Mexico:''' Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí[cite: 1014].
* '''USA:''' Arizona, New Mexico, Texas[cite: 1014].

== Species ==
Following the 2010 revision adopted by Lodé (2015), 7 species and 6 subspecies are recognized[cite: 1013, 1014]:

* [[Epithelantha bokei]]
* [[Epithelantha cryptica]]
* [[Epithelantha greggii]]
** [[Epithelantha greggii subsp. polycephala]]
** [[Epithelantha greggii subsp. potosina]]
* [[Epithelantha ilariae]]
* [[Epithelantha micromeris]]
* [[Epithelantha pachyrhiza]]
** [[Epithelantha pachyrhiza subsp. elongata]]
** [[Epithelantha pachyrhiza subsp. parvula]]
** [[Epithelantha pachyrhiza subsp. pulchra]]
* [[Epithelantha unguispina]]
** [[Epithelantha unguispina subsp. huastecana]]

== Taxonomy ==
While some older classifications recognized only one or two species, Lodé supports the expanded view based on the lack of natural hybrids in sympatric populations and distinct morphological differences in spines and ontogeny.

Epithelantha - Revision history