''Ariocarpus scaphirostris'' is a species of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

in the family

Cactaceae A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

. It was originally called ''Ariocarpus scapharostrus'' in the 1930s.

Description

''Ariocarpus scaphirostris'' grows geophytically with dark green to brown bodies, 4 to 9 centimeters in diameter, with only the warts protruding from the soil surface. The warts are somewhat triangular in cross-section, spreading, pointed, and more than twice as long as they are wide. Areoles are absent or located near the tip of the warts. The plant is slow growing and also produces rare flowers. The magenta flowers reach a diameter of 4 centimeters, and the greenish fruits are 9 to 15 millimeters long. File:Ariocarpus scapharostrus (10328358976).jpg, Flower File:Ariocarpus scaphirostris 1.jpg, Plant File:Ariocarpus scapharostrus (10264186863).jpg, Side view of plant File:Ariocarpus scaphirostris (dry form) seedlings (46781893544).jpg, seedlings

Distribution

Ariocarpus scaphirostris is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to hot

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

s gowning on shaly limestone in a single valley in

Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...

, Mexico, at elevations between 950 and 1,400 meters. File:Ariocarpus scapharostrus (5727042897).jpg, Plant growing in Rayones, Nuevo León under limestone.

Taxonomy

First described in 1930 by

Friedrich Bödeker Friedrich Bödeker (11 September 1867 in Währentrup – 9 April 1937 in Cologne) was a German botanist who specialized in cacti studies. He was the taxonomic author of the cacti genera '' Aztekium'' and '' Porfiria'' as well as of numerous spe ...

, the specific epithet "scaphirostris" is derived from the Greek "skaphe" (ship) and the Latin "rostrum" (beak), referring to the shape of the wart tips. Bödeker's original spelling, "Ariocarpus scapharostrus," was corrected by D. R. Hunt, in 1991 to comply with Article 61.1 of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.

Pharmacology

Hordenine Hordenine is an alkaloid of the phenethylamine class that occurs naturally in a variety of plants, taking its name from one of the most common, barley (''Hordeum'' species). Chemically, hordenine is the ''N''-methyl derivative of ''N''-methyltyra ...

N-methyltyramine ''N''-Methyltyramine (NMT), also known as 4-hydroxy-''N''-methylphenethylamine, is a human trace amine and natural phenethylamine alkaloid found in a variety of plants.T. A. Smith (1977). "Phenethylamine and related compounds in plants." ''Phyto ...

, N-methyl-3,4-dimethoxy-β-phenethylamine and N,N-dimethyl-3,4-dimethoxy-β-phenethylamine were found in ''Ariocarpus scaphirostris''.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q135017 Scaphirostris Cacti of Mexico Endemic flora of Mexico Flora of Nuevo León Endangered biota of Mexico Vulnerable plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot