Badmin: Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Polaskia | image = Polaskia_chichipe.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Phyllocacteae | subtribe = Echinocereinae | genus = '''Polaskia''' | authority = Backeb. (1949) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Gibson & Horak (1978), Terrazas (2000), and Hernández-Hernández et al. (2011). }} == Description == '''Polaskia''' is a genus of arborescent, candelabra-for..."

2026-04-22T10:28:11Z

Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Polaskia | image = Polaskia_chichipe.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Phyllocacteae | subtribe = Echinocereinae | genus = '''Polaskia''' | authority = Backeb. (1949) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Gibson & Horak (1978), Terrazas (2000), and Hernández-Hernández et al. (2011). }} == Description == '''Polaskia''' is a genus of arborescent, candelabra-for..."

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{{Taxobox
| name = Polaskia
| image = Polaskia_chichipe.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribe = [[Phyllocacteae]]
| subtribe = [[Echinocereinae]]
| genus = '''Polaskia'''
| authority = Backeb. (1949)
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Gibson & Horak (1978), Terrazas (2000), and Hernández-Hernández et al. (2011).
}}

== Description ==
'''Polaskia''' is a genus of arborescent, candelabra-forming cacti.

* '''Habit''': Tree-like; densely branched; candelabriform.
* '''Height''': Up to ~5 m.
* '''Stems''': Light green to yellowish-green.
* '''Ribs''': 7–12; triangular; often slightly sinuous.
* '''Areoles''': Situated in depressions along ribs.
* '''Spines''': 3–8 radial spines; central spines usually absent.
* '''Flowers''': Diurnal, remaining open at night; self-sterile.
* '''Flower shape''': Tubular to funnel-shaped or bell-shaped.
* '''Flower color''': White to creamy white; sometimes tinged pink or greenish-yellow.
* '''Pollination''': By bees (Hymenoptera), hummingbirds, bats, and occasionally sphingid moths.
* '''Fruits''': Small, spherical, berry-like; fleshy and juicy; dark red when ripe; edible.
* '''Seeds''': Small; hat-shaped; black; matte; tuberculate and striate.
* '''Seed dispersal''': By birds and small mammals.

== Habitat ==
Occurs in xerophytic environments:

* dry scrub (matorral)
* plains and steep slopes
* clay and limestone soils
* associated with spiny shrubs and other succulents

Altitude range: approximately 1500–2300+ m.

== Distribution ==
Mexico:

* Oaxaca
* Puebla

== Taxonomy ==
A genus with a history of reclassification based on morphology and molecular data.

Key points:

* Originally described as ''Cereus'' species (1905)
* Later split into ''Heliabravoa'' and ''Polaskia'' (Backeberg, 1949)
* Unified under ''Polaskia'' by Gibson & Horak (1978)
* Temporarily included in ''Myrtillocactus'' (Hunt & Taylor, 1990)
* Later re-separated (Hunt, 1999)
* Molecular studies (Terrazas, 2000; Hernández-Hernández et al., 2011) confirm distinct monophyletic status
* Shows affinities with both ''Myrtillocactus'' and ''Stenocereus''

The genus is accepted as distinct in Lodé (2015).

== Species ==
According to Joël Lodé (2015):

* [[Polaskia chende]]
* [[Polaskia chichipe]]

== Notes ==
* Considered a relatively "primitive" lineage within its group.
* Economically important locally due to edible fruits.
* Exhibits broad pollination strategy (insects, birds, bats).
* Phylogenetically positioned between ''Stenocereus'' species in some analyses.
* Morphologically similar to ''Myrtillocactus'', but genetically distinct.

[[Category:Cactaceae]]
[[Category:Cactoideae]]
[[Category:Phyllocacteae]]
[[Category:Echinocereinae]]
[[Category:Polaskia]]

Polaskia - Revision history