Corynopuntia

42. CORYNOPUNTIA F. Knuth in Backeberg & Knuth (Opuntioideae-Cylindropuntieae) Vol. 1 Taxonomy of the Cactaceae 173 Kaktus ABC, 114(1935) (1) C orynopuntia clavata C oryn o p u n tia m aren ae minimum / maximum altitude range (m) 5000 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 • ETYMOLOGY "Club-Opuntia", referring to the typical club-shaped stems of the species in this genus. • DESCRIPTION A genus of dwarf, bushy and low-growing plants, densely branched, with shortly cylindrical to clavate small segments, tuberculate and not ribbed. Spines having a sheath only at the apex, one is usually sturdier, angulate and flattened, sometimes with a bulbous base. Glochids are present. Flowers diurnal, self-sterile, funnel-shaped, mostly light yellow, more rarely white (C. marenae) or red (C. guccinii), pollinated by insects, especially diptera and hymenoptera. Fruits not very spiny, fleshy at the beginning, then drying. Seeds large, flattened to suborbicular or more or less oblong, straw-coloured. • COMMENTS In his work "The Cactus Family, 2001", Anderson included all species of the genus Corynopuntia in Grusonia and thus returned the latter paraphyletic. In 2002, Griffith brought forward morphological, geographical and molecular evidence on the genus Grusonia s.l. and proposed the reinstatement of Grusonia s.s., Corynopuntia and Micropuntia. The proposition was partially accepted in 2006 in the New Cactus Lexicon, although Micropuntia still remains included - with some doubts! - in Corynopuntia. There is nevertheless a shadow of a doubt on Corynopuntia (ex Marenopuntia) marenae, but in his phylogenetic tree, Griffith (2002) included this taxon within Corynopuntia sensu Knuth (1935). In 2009, Griffith & Porter confirmed the study of 2002 and maintained Grusonia s.s., Corynopuntia and Micropuntia as distinct and valid genera. Finally, the cladogram of Bàrcenas et al. (2011) confirmed that Marenopuntia belongs to the genus Corynopuntia. An excellent work on this little studied genus was made by D. Donati & C. Zanovello (2010, 2011, 2012). According to them, C. reflexispina would only be a form of C. marenae, a fact which is reflected in this work. They also point out that C. bulbispina subsp. bulbispina is frequently confused with C. agglomerata (in the New Cactus Lexicon, the photo of C. bulbispina is in fact C. agglomerata). The genus Corynopuntia s.s. is considered correct. currently 17 recognised species + one subspecies: □ Corynopuntia aggeria* (Ralston & Hilsenb.) M.P.Griff. 2002 □ Corynopuntia agglomerata (A.Berger) F.M.Knuth 1935 □ Corynopuntia bulbispina* Engelm.) F.M.Knuth 1935 □ Corynopuntia bulbispina subsp. basileocephala D.Donati 2011 Corynopuntia 174 Taxonomy of the Cactaceae Vol. 1 □ Corynopuntia clavata* (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth 1935 □ Corynopuntia emoryi* (Engelm.) Griffith 2002 □ Corynopuntia grahamii* (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth 1935 □ Corynopuntia guccinii D.Donati 2010 □ Corynopuntia invicta* (Brandegee) F.M.Knuth 1935 □ Corynopuntia kunzei* (Rose) Griffith 2002 □ Corynopuntia marenae* (Parsons) Griffith 2002 □ Corynopuntia moelleri(A.Berger) F.M.Knuth 1935 □ Corynopuntia nigrispina D.Donati 2012 □ Corynopuntia parishii* (Orcutt) F.M.Knuth 1935 □ Corynopuntia reflexispina (Wiggins & Rollins) Backeb. 1958 □ Corynopuntia robertsii (Rebman) L. G. Bulot & J. M. Solichon 2009 □ Corynopuntia schottii* (Engelm .) F.M.Knuth 1935 □ Corynopuntia vilis* (Rose) F.M.Knuth 1935 • HABITAT The genus Corynopuntia grows in northern Mexico and southern United States, in the deserts of Mojave and Chihuahua, practically from sea level up to 2500 m in altitude, always in very dry areas, the matorral, consisting of xerophytic plants, among bushes, in cracks of rocky outcrops at foothills, on open, gravelly or clayish-sandy alluvial plains, plateaus, valleys, sometimes on oxidized, muddy, sandy or rocky limestone sedimentary soils, old stabilized dunes, together with cacti and other succulents. Plants are often used by several rodents and lizards as a protection against predators. • DISTRIBUTION Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo-León, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Zacatecas), USA (Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas).