Rozpoznawanie
The species description indicates triangular tubercles with irregular small projections and a woolly areole midway along the upper surface. Young tubercles are more elongated. Larger plants may develop less pronounced lateral grooves. [Hernández and Anderson 1992]
Inner tepals are pink to magenta. Seeds are black, with a distinct pale zone at the base. The epithet commemorates Mexican cactus researcher Helia Bravo Hollis. [Hernández and Anderson 1992]
Species circumscription and subspecies
POWO accepts Ariocarpus bravoanus H.M.Hern. & E.F.Anderson and two subspecies, the nominate subspecies and hintonii. The latter has a separate profile. Historically, both taxa have been associated with A. fissuratus. [2-WWW] [Romulski 2006b]
Distribution
The species is native to San Luis Potosí. Its original description presented plants on flat, limestone-derived gravel terrain among desert shrubs. The single site known at the time documents the state of knowledge in 1992. [2-WWW] [Hernández and Anderson 1992]
Flowers and pollen incompatibility
In the comparative study, flower width averaged 28.05 ± 1.73 mm. 21 flowers were examined, and variation is the standard error of the mean. Measurements represent the studied A. bravoanus population and do not constitute a separate dataset for subsp. hintonii. [Martínez-Peralta et al. 2014a]
Manual self-pollination produced no fruits in a small sample of five flowers. Pollen tube observations nevertheless indicated a partial rather than absolute mechanism of self-pollen rejection. With such a small sample, absence of fruits alone is insufficient to consider every plant of the species entirely self-incompatible. [Martínez-Peralta et al. 2014b]
Genetic markers and plant provenance
Microsatellite markers were developed in the 2008 paper. Microsatellites are short, repeated DNA segments whose length can differ among individuals. The abstract reported eight variable markers in a sample of 23 plants. [Hughes et al. 2008]
The authors linked development of these tools to possible future support for checking plant provenance. Finding variable markers alone does not mean they can already reliably identify every wild-collected plant. Such assessment requires an appropriate comparison sample and validation. [Hughes et al. 2008]
Cultivation and propagation
Adult plants require careful matching of watering to substrate and growth conditions. The Polish account of the genus used a permeable substrate, dry rest and careful repotting. A small rosette does not imply an absence of an extensive underground part. [Anonim 2006] [Martínez-Peralta et al. 2014a]
Seedlings are managed as a separate cultivation stage, with protection from rapid drying and sudden increases in sunlight. Neciu's account describes prolonged shelter for young ariocarpus plants. Keep parent information and the distinction between subspecies with seeds and plants. [Neciu 2006] [2-WWW]
What the DNA marker sample represents
Eight microsatellite markers were characterised using 23 plants, 20 from one population in central San Luis Potosí and three bought commercially. The authors assumed that the latter came from the type locality. Allele numbers were reported for all material, while heterozygosity and genetic equilibrium tests were calculated for the field sample. [Hughes et al. 2008, p. 1068–1070, tabela 1]
Individual markers had four to eight detected alleles. Three departed from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium expectations, and no significant linkage disequilibrium was found between marker pairs. These tools allow further comparisons of material. Certifying plant provenance was presented as a future application whose accuracy this paper had not yet tested. [Hughes et al. 2008, p. 1069–1070, tabela 1]