Identity and identification
POWO accepts Aztekium hintonii as a separate species. Its range covers Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. The name × Aztekonia hintonii, found in an alternative classification from 2014, is a synonym in this database. [2-WWW]
The protologue described a usually solitary stem about 8,5 cm tall and 10 cm in diameter, exceptionally larger. The ribs have transverse striations, and their edges thicken and round with age. Three curved, rapidly shed spines reached 7–13 mm. Pink or purple flowers arise near the apex. The described plants grew on gypsum alongside Geohintonia mexicana. [Glass and Fitz Maurice 1992]
Anatomy of a small stem
The study by Vázquez-Sánchez et al. from 2017 included A. hintonii in a comparison of 135 Cacteae taxa. The species was classified among globular plants with continuous ribs. Secondary wood was of the type lacking fibres, while cortex and pith tissues were parenchymatous. The relatively massive surface appearance therefore combines with an interior in which thin-walled cells retain a substantial share. [Vázquez-Sánchez et al. 2017]
In wood of this type, vessels are accompanied by wide-band tracheids. Their broad annular or helical thickenings do not cover the entire cell wall. Thinner sections can deform as the stem’s water content changes. At the whole-organ level, this structure provides different possibilities for deformation from continuous bands of strongly lignified fibres. The authors regarded the relationship between wood type, stem geometry and other supporting tissues as an important approach to explaining drought adaptations. [Vázquez-Sánchez et al. 2017]
The closest comparison is the co-occurring Geohintonia mexicana. Its wood changes structure during development and produces fibres in the later portion. In the A. hintonii studied, the type without fibres persisted. Related plants of similar size can therefore support hydrated tissues through different contributions from wood. This is a comparative anatomical result. The force needed to bend the stems of these two species was not measured in the study. [Vázquez-Sánchez et al. 2017]
Seedlings under controlled conditions
In 2002, Quail documented A. hintonii seedlings obtained in containers under artificial light. He kept slow-growing species in growth through their first winter and moved them to daylight in the summer of their second year. He then covered them with light-diffusing film. This procedure concerned young plants in his heated propagator. It combined moisture control with a gradual transition to greenhouse conditions. [Quail 2002]
The internal structure of A. hintonii and Geohintonia mexicana is compared in the article “How a cactus stem maintains its shape during drought”. Separate microscopic documentation of the surface is included in the A. ritteri profile. [Vázquez-Sánchez et al. 2017] [Porembski 1996]
Related articles
Materials from the author's archive
The species also appears in Konrad Szychowski's private material archive. [Kaktusy i Inne 2005a, file p. 31, 32]
Synonyms and names in the literature
× Aztekonia hintonii [2-WWW]