''Astrophytum myriostigma'', the bishop's cap cactus, bishop's hat or bishop's miter cactus, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

cactus 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, ...

native to the

highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa * Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...

of northeastern and central

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

include ''

Echinocactus ''Echinocactus'' is a genus of cacti in the subfamily Cactoideae. The generic name derives from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient w ...

myriostigma'', ''Astrophytum prismaticum'', ''A. columnare'', ''A. tulense'', and ''A. nuda''.

Morphology

''Astrophytum myriostigma'' is a spineless cactus defined by the presence of three to seven (usually five) pronounced vertical ribs which define the cactus' shape when young (the genus name "astrophytum", literally, "star plant", is derived from the resulting star-like shape). As the cactus ages, more ribs may be added and it becomes more cylindrical in shape, growing up to about tall and in diameter. In the wild, globose to cylindrical stem is covered with a whitish flocking of trichomes. Some horticultural varieties lack the flocking.

Life cycle

In the wild, the cacti flower in early spring, so that their seeds can grow with summer rains. In cultivation this differs, and the plants may flower in summer. Plants produce one or more

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s diameter near the apex; the numerous

tepals A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of ve ...

are creamy yellow, sometimes with an orange or red base.

Pollinated Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, for example bees, beetles or butterflies; bird ...

flowers develop into a hairy reddish

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

about in diameter. Plants may take up to six years to flower. ''A. myriostigma'' is commonly grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

in cactus collections.

Trivia

This plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

Gallery

File:Bishop's Cap.JPG, Astrophytum myriostigma.jpg File:Astrophytum myriostigma flower.jpg File:AstrophytumMyriostigma.jpg File:Astrophytum myriostigma 11.JPG File:Astriphytum myriostigma 2.JPG, Old plant File:Astrophytum myriostigma quadricostatum.JPG, ''A. myriostigma'' var. ''quadricostatum'' File:Astrophytum myriostigma nudum 5.JPG, ''A. myriostigma'' var. ''nudum'' File:Astrophytum myriostigma v. tricostatum 1.JPG, ''A. myriostigma'' var. ''tricostatum'' File:Ast.myrio nud.jpg, ''Astrophytum myriostigma nudum'' with 4,5,6,7,8 ribs

References

External links

*
"Bishop's cap cactus"

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

. 28/7/2005.
"Bishop's Miter, Bishop's Cap"
. www.desert-tropicals.com. 28/7/2005.
photos on www.AIAPS.org

photos on www.cactiguide.com
{{Taxonbar, from=Q637364 myriostigma Cacti of Mexico Endemic flora of Mexico Flora of Central Mexico Flora of Northeastern Mexico Garden plants of North America Plants described in 1839