Ortegocactus macdougallii

The Ortegocactus genus, Alexander 1961, is monospecific and only consists of Ortegocactus macdougallii Alexander 1961, very next one to the Mammillaria sort. The philogenetic studies of the DNA of Charles A. Butterworth, J. Hugo Level-Sanchez and Robert S. Wallace (2002) locate the Ortegocactus between Neolloydia and Coryphantha.

It is called thus in honor of the family Ortega, from San Jose Lachuguiri that helped Tom MacDougall in the discovery of this plant. Ortegocactus macdougallii grows in Mexico, Oaxaca, San Jose Lachuguiri, in a small practically inaccessible zone, an escarped limestone stone rock top, practically deprived of trees and scrubs, at a height of 2000 meters.

It is a plant that forms great bushes with numerous globular stems of green color that extend with the years, of 3 to 4 cm of diameter. The low tubercles are often squashed, rhomboid and arranged in spiral, of 8 to 10 mm of diameter. The areolas are dimorphic, with white felt and spines in the superior part, some times with furrows. A central turgid black spine, or whitish with the black end, of 4 to 5 mm in length. Some 7 to 8 radial spines of the same color of 5-10mm of length.

     The summer and diurnal flowers, from the base of the armpits of superior tubercles, are yellow, in form of funnel, 2 to 3 cm of length and 2,5 cm of diameter. They last a couple of days.

     The fruit is globular, slightly extended, dry when mature, reddish, of about 5 mm of diameter, conserves adhered rest of perianthus, indehiscent. The seeds are almost spherical, like bites, brown blacks, of 1.2 mm in length and 0.9 mm wide, of shining black color.

   By Vicente Bueno, Notorious Dr. Good de Cactus Center Club