Coryphantha nickelsiae

Structure and identification

The monograph describes spherical stems with a short taproot and sparse wool near the sunken apex. Lower lateral spines are thin and spread horizontally. Upper ones gather in two layers and may be longer, flattened or twisted. A single dark central spine usually occurs irregularly. Yellow flowers have a red stripe on the outer tepals. The monograph also describes cluster formation. [Dicht and Lüthy 2005, p. 157]

Habitat and variation

Documented sites lie on the eastern slopes of Sierra Madre Oriental, on limestone gravel and alluvial substrates at hill bases and on ridges, often beneath shrubs. The 2016 morphological analysis notes that some clusters of this species consist of neighbouring plants with separate roots. A view of the group above ground alone therefore does not establish whether these are offsets of one plant. [Dicht and Lüthy 2005, p. 157; p. 25, 29, ryc. 2C] [Vázquez-Benítez et al. 2016, p. 157; p. 25, 29, ryc. 2C]

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