Astrophytum


Astrophytum is a genus of six species of cacti, native to North America.
These species are sometimes referred to as living rocks, though the term is also used for other genera, particularly Lithops. The generic name is derived from the Greek words άστρον, meaning "star," and φυτόν, meaning "plant."

Description

The species of the genus Astrophytum usually grow individually with spherical to columnar green shoots and reach heights of up to 1.5 meters. The shoots are often densely covered with fine white tufts of hair, but sometimes they are completely bald. There are four to ten very noticeable ribs that are not divided into cusps. The large areoles stand close together, but do not merge. The spike is variable. Thorns may be present or may be missing entirely.
The funnel-shaped, large flowers are yellow or yellow with a red throat. They appear at the top of the shoots and open during the day. The pericarpel is covered with pointed scales. The cap-shaped seeds have a diameter of up to 2.5 millimeters with a brownish black seed coat which is almost smooth. The edge is rolled towards the sunken hilum.

Species

Synonymy

The genus has several synonyms:
There are a number of species synonyms sometimes seen:
NameSynonym of
Astrophytum columnareAstrophytum myriostigma
Astrophytum crassispinoidesAstrophytum capricorne var. crassispinoides
Astrophytum glabrescensAstrophytum ornatum
Astrophytum niveumAstrophytum capricorne var. niveum
Astrophytum nudaAstrophytum myriostigma var. nudum
Astrophytum prismaticumAstrophytum myriostigma
Astrophytum senileAstrophytum capricorne
Astrophytum tulenseAstrophytum myriostigma