''Obregonia'', the artichoke cactus, is a

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 ...

genus of

cacti 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, ...

, containing the species ''Obregonia denegrii''. The species 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 the state of

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

in Mexico. 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 ...

''Obregonia'' is named after

Álvaro Obregón Álvaro Obregón Salido (; 19 February 1880 – 17 July 1928) was a Mexican general, inventor and politician who served as the 46th President of Mexico from 1920 to 1924. Obregón was re-elected to the presidency in 1928 but was assassinated b ...

, while the species is named after Ramon P. De Negri, who was the

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

of Mexico when the cacti was first described by Alfred Frec in 1923.

Description

''Obregonia denegrii'' typically grows as a single plant, characterized by a sunken and woolly apex. This rare species resembles an inverted green

pine cone A conifer cone, or in formal botanical usage a strobilus, : strobili, is a seed-bearing organ on gymnosperm plants, especially in conifers and cycads. They are usually woody and variously conic, cylindrical, ovoid, to globular, and have scal ...

with a woolly center. The stems take on a globular-squashed form with a woolly center, reaching diameters of up to and showcasing a color spectrum from greyish green to dark green. Small

areole In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cactus, cacti out of which grow clusters of Thorns, spines, and prickles, spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cactus, cacti, and identify them as a family distinct fr ...

s are situated at the tips of the tubercles, adorned with wool in their early stages. The areoles exhibit 2 to 4 whitish to brown spines, measuring approximately in length, on the young tubercles. These spines are soft, flexible, slightly curved, and tend to shed rapidly. In the summer, flowers bloom, emerging between the wool of the apex and at the center of the stem on young tubercles. These flowers take on a funnel-shaped, diurnal, white appearance, with dimensions reaching up to in diameter and 2.5- in length. The external perianth segments exhibit a greyish hue, and the pericarpel is either exposed or possesses a few scales. Filaments are reddish-purple or pink, anthers are yellow, and both the style and stigma lobes are white.

Distribution

''Obregonia denegrii'' originates from the Valley of Jaumave in

Ciudad Victoria Ciudad Victoria () (English: ''Victoria City'') is the seat of the Victoria Municipality, Tamaulipas, Municipality of Victoria, and the capital of the Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Tamaulipas. It is located in the Northern Mexico, n ...

Tamaulipas, Mexico Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalit ...

, commonly thriving at elevations around 1000 meters. This plant prospers in semi-desert open areas and dense bushes. It grows slowly in culture and requires little water. It benefits from full sun and is multiplied by seed. It is very slow growing. It is an

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

Endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

Uses

The Nahuatl Indians call the plant ''peyotl'', and it is said to have

hallucinogenic Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, moo ...

alkaloids Alkaloids are a broad class of naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large variety of organisms i ...

. It is one of the closest living relatives of the genus ''

Lophophora ''Lophophora'' () is a genus of spineless, button-like cacti. Its native range covers Texas through Mexico to southwestern Mexico. The species are extremely slow growing, sometimes taking up to thirty years to reach flowering age (at the size o ...

''.

Gallery

File:Obregonia denigrii 9.JPG, ''Obregonia denigrii'' in flower File:Obregonia denegrii 4.JPG, ''Obregonia denigrii'' seen from above File:Obregonia denigrii 11.JPG, The flower of ''Obregonia denigrii'' File:Cactaceaeː Obregonia denegril.JPG, Cultivated plant specimen

References

* – Database report on species & threats.

External links

*
Cactiguide.com: ''Obregonia''
Cactoideae genera Cacti of Mexico Endemic flora of Mexico Monotypic Cactaceae genera Endangered biota of Mexico Endangered flora of North America {{Cactus-stub