The narrow treatment in the 2020 revision
Under the name C. sphaerica, the authors described solitary plants or loose cushions up to about 25 cm tall and 50 cm in diameter, with fibrous roots. Stem segments were globular to ovoid, grey-green and had numerous areoles. Spines turned white and grey with age and were often bent towards the segment surface. Flowers opened during the day, initially yellow and becoming orange as they wilted. [Pauca-Tanco and Quipuscoa 2020]
Sites and phenology
Narrowly treated C. sphaerica was recorded in the Batolito de la Caldera at 2032–2900 m, from the La Joya area to Chapi. Plants grew on very dry, sparsely vegetated slopes in sand, rubble and volcanic deposits. Flowering was observed from June to August and fruiting from September to December. Flowers were visited by various insect groups and occasionally hummingbirds. [Pauca-Tanco and Quipuscoa 2020]
Populacje opisane pod innymi nazwami
POWO includes C. crassicylindrica, C. ignota, C. multiareolata, C. rauppiana and C. tumida in this species, among others. In the Arequipa revision, some of these names represented separate species differing in root, areole and spine number, and stem-segment shape. For example, plants described as C. multiareolata had particularly dense areole placement, and their flowering was recorded from October to December. [Pauca-Tanco and Quipuscoa 2020] [2-WWW]
For this reason, the regional description of narrow C. sphaerica is not automatically extended to the entire current species. Location, phenology and the scope of the author's observations are retained with the historical name. This record allows comparison of literature despite changing taxon boundaries. [Pauca-Tanco and Quipuscoa 2020] [2-WWW]
Synonyms and names in the literature
Austrocylindropuntia sphaerica · Cumulopuntia crassicylindrica · Cumulopuntia fulvicoma var. bicolor · Cumulopuntia ignota · Cumulopuntia mira · Cumulopuntia multiareolata · Cumulopuntia rauppiana · Cumulopuntia tubercularis · Cumulopuntia tumida · Opuntia corotilla var. aurantiaciflora · Opuntia crassicylindrica · Opuntia fulvicoma var. bicolor · Opuntia ignota · Opuntia kuehnrichiana · Opuntia kuehnrichiana var. applanata · Opuntia kuehnrichii · Opuntia leonina · Opuntia mira · Opuntia muelleriana · Opuntia phyllacantha · Opuntia rauppiana · Opuntia sphaerica · Opuntia sphaerica var. rauppiana · Opuntia tumida · Sphaeropuntia crassicylindrica · Sphaeropuntia multiareolata · Sphaeropuntia sphaerica · Sphaeropuntia sphaerica subsp. crassicylindrica · Sphaeropuntia sphaerica subsp. kuehnrichiana · Sphaeropuntia sphaerica subsp. tumida · Sphaeropuntia tumida · Tephrocactus bicolor · Tephrocactus corotilla var. aurantiaciflorus · Tephrocactus crassicylindricus · Tephrocactus fulvicomus var. bicolor · Tephrocactus ignotus · Tephrocactus kuehnrichianus · Tephrocactus kuehnrichianus var. applanatus · Tephrocactus leoninus · Tephrocactus mirus · Tephrocactus muellerianus · Tephrocactus multiareolatus · Tephrocactus rauppianus · Tephrocactus sphaericus · Tephrocactus sphaericus var. glaucinus · Tephrocactus sphaericus var. rauppianus [2-WWW]