The

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Aztekium'' contains two

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), ...

of small globular

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, ...

. Discovered in 1929 by F. Ritter, in Rayones, Nuevo León, Mexico, this genus was thought to be

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

(with '' Aztekium ritteri'') until a second species ('' Aztekium hintonii'') was discovered by George S. Hinton, in Galeana, Nuevo León in 1991. A further possible species, ''Aztekium valdezii'', was described in 2011, but is considered to be a synonym of ''A. ritteri''.

Description

''Aztekium ritteri'' is a plant that is around 20 mm wide, with 9 to 11 ribs, which typically have transverse wrinkles. Its color varies from pale green to grayish-green. The center of the cactus contains white wool. Flowers are less than 10 mm wide, with white

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s and pinkish

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s. The plants bear pinkish berry-like fruits. ''A. hintonii'' is larger, to 10 cm in diameter, 10 to 18 grooved

rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs () are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the thoracic cavity, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ...

s, flowers

magenta Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...

to 3 cm. It grows only on

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

Species

Etymology

Its name is dedicated to the

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

people, due to the resemblance between the plant's shape and certain Aztec sculptures.

Distribution

This genus is found only in the state of

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 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 ...

. It was estimated that there were in the order of tens of millions of plants of ''A. hintonii'', and at present most of its range is pristine. Though ''A. ritteri'' has been collected for decades and there has been destruction of its habitat, the number of plants in habitat is several million.

Cultivation

These species grow extremely slowly, taking around two years to attain a diameter of 3 mm. They are usually propagated by seeds.

Phytochemistry

The plants contain the following compounds: * N-methyltyramine * hordenine * anhalidine *

mescaline Mescaline, also known as mescalin or mezcalin, and in chemical terms 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine, is a natural product, naturally occurring psychedelic drug, psychedelic alkaloid, protoalkaloid of the substituted phenethylamine class, found ...

* N,N-3,4-dimethoxy-phenethylamine * pellotine * 3-methoxytyramine

References

External links

Sacred and Medicinal Cacti by MS Smith

{{Taxonbar, from=Q131705 Cacti of Mexico Endemic flora of Mexico Flora of Nuevo León Medicinal plants of North America Cactoideae genera Cactoideae