Botanical terms and comparisons

Names of cactus parts

Structural elements and how to recognize them
Element	Meaning	How to interpret it
Shoot	The stem together with leaves and buds, even when leaves are highly reduced	The green body does not include roots. Shoot and stem are sometimes used as shorthand, but are not fully equivalent.
Growing tip	The region containing the shoot apical meristem	New sections of the axis and organ primordia form here. Not every areole is a growing tip.
Areole	A specialized short shoot with its own meristematic region	It can produce spines, hairs, lateral shoots or flowers. It is not a single spine or a hole in the epidermis.
Rib	A longitudinal ridge on the stem	Its geometry facilitates volume changes in the hydrated shoot. Rib number may change during growth.
Tubercle	A distinct projection on the shoot surface	It may be associated with an areole. Its arrangement and grooves matter in genus descriptions.
Axil	In mammillaria descriptions, the depression between tubercles	The flowering region may be separate from the spine-bearing apical portion of the areole.
Radial spine	A spine arranged radially near the areole's perimeter	It usually lies closer to the shoot surface. The distinction from a central spine concerns position, not just length.
Central spine	A spine developing nearer the centre of the spine cluster	It often projects farther from the surface. It may be straight or hooked.
Glochid	A small barbed spine typical of opuntioids	It detaches easily and penetrates skin. Glochids are not soft hairs that can be touched safely.
Areole hairs	Trichomes, often forming a woolly covering	They should be distinguished from thin or feathery spines. Similar appearance does not demonstrate shared structure.
Segment	A shoot section separated by a distinct constriction	A flat opuntia or schlumbergera segment is part of the stem, not a leaf.
Epidermis and cuticle	The covering tissue and its outer protective layer	Stomata belong to the epidermis. The cuticle limits water loss but does not seal the plant completely.
Photosynthetic parenchyma	Living cells with chloroplasts	It performs photosynthesis. It usually lies in the outer portion of the shoot cortex.
Water-storage tissues	Living tissues maintaining a water reserve	They are not an empty cistern. Storage and photosynthetic functions may partly overlap.
Xylem and phloem	Conducting tissues	Xylem carries water and minerals, while phloem mainly carries organic compounds between sites of production and use.
Root collar	The transition zone between shoot and root system	Its position helps assess correct planting depth and the location of damage.
Primary root and lateral roots	The axis of embryonic origin and its branches	Roots arising from the shoot of a cutting are adventitious. A large root is not necessarily a primary root.
Storage root	A thickened root storing resources	It is not an underground stem. Cacti differ in the contribution of roots and shoots to water storage.

Context and sources in the article

Growth habit and general plant appearance

Table 1 • Growth habit and general plant appearance
Element or term	Meaning	Examples and explanation
phyton	Plant, an element of Greek origin	Astrophytum combines a reference to a star with the term for a plant. Conophytum is an example outside Cactaceae.
stēlē, columna	Column or pillar	chrysostele, albicolumna. stēlē comes from Greek, columna from Latin.
dendron, arbor	Tree	arborescens means becoming tree-like. The element dendro- is Greek.
dumus	Shrub or scrub	dumetorum refers to scrub as a habitat and need not describe the cactus's own habit.
frutex	Shrub	fruticosus, frutescens indicate a shrubby character or its development.
virgultum	Shrub, scrub, young shoots	virgultus should be read in the context of the original description.
sphaira, globus	Sphere	sphaerocarpus applies globose shape to a fruit, globularis to a spherical shape. Not every element refers to the entire plant.
clava, korynē, rhopalon	Club	clavatus, claviformis, corynodes. They describe broadening towards the end of an organ.
cylindrus, kylindros	Cylinder	cylindroarticulatus means cylindrically segmented. The element also occurs in Cylindropuntia.
discus	Disc, shield	disciformis means disc-shaped. Discocactus illustrates the element's use in a genus name.
caespes	Turf, dense clump	caespitosus means clumping, forming clusters of shoots.
depressus	Flattened, lowered	Describes organ proportions. A flattened stem need not be segmented.
prostratus, pendulus	Prostrate, hanging	Two distinct growth directions. They should not be treated as synonyms.

Context and sources in the article

Stem, branches and segments

Table 2 • Stem, branches and segments
Element or term	Meaning	Examples and explanation
caulis, kaulos	Stem	Latin caulis and Greek kaulos denote the shoot axis. fusicaulis refers to a spindle-shaped stem.
truncus	Trunk	The correct Latin term for a trunk. The former assignment of “trunk” to stemma was incorrect.
ramus	Branch	ramosus means branched, ramosissimus very strongly branched.
brachium	Arm	brachiatus describes arm-like branches.
klados	Branch, offshoot	heterocladus refers to differences between branches, glaucocladus to their glaucous colour.
frons	Leafy branch or blade, depending on context	latifrons and acutifrons require checking the organ description. The element alone does not demonstrate typical leaves.
sarmentum	Long, slender shoot	sarmentaceus is associated with this habit. The archive used the inaccurate spelling sarmentium.
articulus, arthron	Segment or joint	articulatus means segmented. Arthrocereus contains a Greek element referring to joints between segments.
stemma	Wreath, crown	This Greek element remains in the comparison as a correction. It is not a term for a stem or trunk.

Context and sources in the article

Spines, bristles and hairs

Table 3 • Spines, bristles and hairs
Element or term	Meaning	Examples and explanation
spina, akantha	Spine, sharp structure	tenuispinus, melanacanthus. Etymology does not replace identification of an organ's origin.
aculeus	Prickle or sharp outgrowths in older descriptions	aculeatus. In a strict morphological description, a prickle is a surface outgrowth, while a cactus spine has leaf origin.
ankistron, hamus, uncus	Hook	ancistrophorus, multihamatus, uncinatus indicate a hooked curvature.
centrum	Centre	centrispinus refers to central spines. Position in the areole is distinct from spine length.
acutus, acumen	Sharp, sharply pointed tip	acuminatus indicates a gradually elongated point. The imprecise archival spelling aculius was omitted.
cuspis	Point, sharp ending	tricuspidatus means three-pointed. The number refers to a particular feature in the description.
subula	Awl	subulatus describes an awl-shaped form tapering to a sharp end.
acus	Needle	acifer, acispinosus refer to a needle-like form.
arma	Armament	Armatocereus, albiarmatus. A metaphor for defensive traits.
acinaces	Short curved sword	acinaciformis, acinacispinus describe a shape resembling a blade.
machaira	Blade, knife or sword	Machaerocereus and machaeratus illustrate historical use of the element, not a statement of current genus status.
pugio	Dagger	pugionacanthus, pugionifer refer to the shape or presence of dagger-like structures.
aor, ensis, gladius, xiphos	Sword	ensiformis, gladiispinus, xiphacanthus. These are different roots evoking similar shapes.
hasta, lancea	Spear, lance	hastatus and lanceolatus are not interchangeable. In leaf descriptions they denote different outlines.
sarissa	Long spear	sarrisophorus refers to long, sharp armament.
chaitē, seta	Bristle	chaetacanthus, saetiger, acanthosetus emphasize a thin, bristly form.
pilus, thrix	Hair	Latin pilo- and Greek tricho-. Examples include Pilosocereus and sphaerotrichus.
coma, crinis	Tuft, hair	albicomus, brevicrinita. A reference to hair does not establish whether the structure described is a trichome or a thin spine.
erion, lana	Wool	eriophorus, laniceps indicate a woolly appearance of a particular part.
floccus, cincinnus	Tuft, curl	flocculosus, cincinnatus describe covering arrangement, not a separate cactus organ.
pinna, pluma	Feather	pinnatus, plumosus. In cacti, a feathery appearance may result from spine structure.
inermis	Unarmed	Closest in meaning to lacking spines or prickles. subinermis means almost unarmed.
nudus	Naked, exposed	nudiflorus applies nakedness to the flower. It does not automatically mean the entire plant lacks spines.
calvus	Bald, without covering	calvescens indicates becoming bald, losing the covering during development.
laevis	Smooth	laevigatus refers to a smooth surface. Smoothness and lack of spines are different traits.
glaber	Hairless	glabrescens means becoming hairless. It concerns hairs, not a general statement of spinelessness.

Context and sources in the article

Shoot surface, leaves, roots and fruits

Table 4 • Shoot surface, leaves, roots and fruits
Element or term	Meaning	Examples and explanation
areola	Small area, in cacti an areole	longiareolatus refers to elongated areoles. An areole is the site where a specialized short shoot develops.
glochis	Barb, barbed point	glochidiatus refers to glochids. The singular in a Polish description may be rendered as glochidium.
derma	Skin	Argyroderma is an example outside Cactaceae. A surface name does not establish the anatomical covering type.
sperma, semen	Seed	cardiospermus, dolichospermaticus. The elements may describe shape or other seed traits.
fructus, karpos	Fruit	albifructus, platycarpus apply a trait to the fruit.
bacca	Berry	baccifer means producing berries. It is not a synonym for every fruit type.
pulpa	Pulp	duripulpa refers to pulp hardness.
radix, rhiza	Root	brunneiradicatus, macrorhizus, polyrhizus. The term may concern root colour, size or number.
rapum, napus	Turnip	napiformis describes resemblance to a turnip, usually organ thickening. It is not a general term for a root.
angulus, gonia	Angle	multangularis, hexagonus, heptagonus. An angular cross-section may correspond to ribbing, but “angle” and “rib” are not exact synonyms.
costa, pleura	Rib, side	paucicostatus means having few ribs, while pleurocarpus applies ribbing or lateral position to the fruit, depending on the name.
mamma, mastos	Breast, projection	grandimamma, Echinomastus refer to tubercles or resemblance in shape.
papilla, thēlē	Papilla, tubercle	papillosus, conothele, Thelocactus. Not every microscopic surface papilla is a large shoot tubercle.
folium, phyllon	Leaf	grandifolius, rotundifolius, phyllacanthus. The former name Phyllocactus referred to a leaf-like stem, not ordinary leaves.

Context and sources in the article

The flower and its parts

Table 5 • The flower and its parts
Element or term	Meaning	Examples and explanation
anthos, flos	Flower	micranthus, grandiflorus. The first element is Greek, the second Latin.
kalyx, calyx	Calyx	Gymnocalycium refers to a “naked calyx”. The historical meaning does not replace a modern description of the floral tube and pericarpel.
sepalum	Sepal	crassisepalus, smaragdisepalus. In many cacti, the boundary between outer and inner tepals is gradual.
petalon, petalum	Petal	oxypetalus refers to sharply pointed petals. In a description of a continuous perianth, tepals may be the safer term.
stylos, stylus	Style, originally a pillar or stylus	brevistylus, flavistylus describe style length or colour.
graphis	Stylus, writing tool	The old brachygraphis illustrates a shape metaphor. graphis should not be used as a universal term for the style.
stamen, stēmōn	Stamen	longistamineus refers to stamens. A stamen includes a filament and anther, so it is not the filament alone.
filamentum	Thread, including a stamen filament	rubrifilamentosus indicates red filaments. filamenta is plural.
anthera, stigma, ovarium	Anther, stigma, ovary	Three supplementary anatomical terms. The anther produces pollen, the stigma receives it, and the ovary contains ovules.

Context and sources in the article

Former names in the supplied books

Examples of updates using POWO, checked 9.10.2026
Former name	Accepted name	Relationship and significance
Zygocactus truncatus	Schlumbergera truncata	Changed generic combination. We retain the former name when discussing the book. [2-WWW]
Chamaecereus silvestrii	Echinopsis chamaecereus	The accepted name follows current POWO. The older combination helps find the earlier description. [2-WWW]
Mammillaria wildii	Mammillaria crinita subsp. wildii	It has subspecies rank in the adopted treatment. [2-WWW]
Hylocereus undatus	Selenicereus undatus	Transfer to another genus does not mean a different species cultivated as a rootstock. [2-WWW]
Dolichothele longimamma	Mammillaria longimamma	A former genus found in literature describing elongated tubercles. [2-WWW]
Neomammillaria gaumeri	Mammillaria heyderi subsp. gaumeri	The name from Britton and Rose's monograph now corresponds to a subspecies in POWO's treatment. [2-WWW]

Context and sources in the article

Exhibitions and the scale of development

PTMK membership in historical tabulations
Date of tabulation	Members	Data scope
18 November 1966	388	Total excluding Bydgoszcz data. Includes 25 people from provinces where branches had not been constituted.
Second General Congress, June 1969	1198	13 branches. The authors separately record 15 corresponding members from other countries.
Third General Congress, 1972	About 300	10 branches. The source gives an approximate value.

Context and sources in the article

Water loss, sugars and mannitol

Osmotic pressure of photosynthetic parenchyma after two temperature regimes (MPa)
Material identified in the study	30/20°C, day/night	10/0°C, day/night
Opuntia ficus-indica	0.70 ± 0.02	0.80 ± 0.01
Opuntia humifusa	0.88 ± 0.05	1.23 ± 0.06
Opuntia streptacantha	0.71 ± 0.02	0.83 ± 0.03

Context and sources in the article

Seasonal resistance on the Canadian prairie

Seasonal change in segment tolerance from Saskatchewan
Date and material	Water (% fresh mass)	LT₀, no visible damage	LT₅₀, tissue damage
6 IX 1985, mature segments O. fragilis	84.3%	−7°C	−10°C
10 X 1985, O. fragilis	71.9%	−50°C	below −70°C
10 XII 1985, O. fragilis	69.6%	−50°C	below −70°C
8 IV 1986, O. fragilis	72.5%	−30°C	below −60°C
18 VI 1986, young segments O. fragilis	91.0%	not determined	death after freezing at −3.5°C
10 XII 1985, O. polyacantha	67.6%	−40°C	−55°C

Context and sources in the article

Twenty populations of Opuntia fragilis

LT₅₀ after acclimatization and improvement relative to 25/15°C
Material provenance	LT₅₀ (°C)	Tolerance improvement (°C)
Peace River, Alberta	−39.0	20.0
Fort St. John, British Columbia	−44.3	24.3
Goose Lake, Saskatchewan	−41.1	23.4
Cache Creek, British Columbia	−34.9	14.9
Bird River, Manitoba	−22.6	17.2
Vernon, British Columbia	−30.1	11.1
Hornby Island, British Columbia	−19.1	12.1
Lethbridge, Alberta	−28.3	19.0
Virden, Manitoba	−48.9	19.9
Minot, North Dakota	−40.2	17.2
Plymouth, Washington	−20.6	11.1
Eau Claire, Wisconsin	−25.5	18.8
Kaladar, Ontario	−20.4	15.4
Thermopolis, Wyoming	−28.6	17.6
Salt Lake City, Utah	−25.0	17.0
Leadville, Colorado	−22.4	16.4
Princeton, Colorado	−15.6	14.2
Russell, Kansas	−23.3	19.3
Loa, Utah	−23.6	13.6
Albuquerque, New Mexico	−27.6	19.6

Context and sources in the article

Shoots, roots, fruits and meristems respond differently

LT₅₀ of organs of Opuntia ficus-indica clone 1279 (°C)
Organ and age	After 20/10°C	After 30/20°C
One-year segment	−7.6 ± 0.2	−6.7 ± 0.2
Six-week segment	−7.8 ± 0.2	−6.5 ± 0.1
Six-week fruit	−6.3 ± 0.3	−6.3 ± 0.2
Six-week root	−6.5 ± 0.2	−6.4 ± 0.2

Context and sources in the article

Shoots, roots, fruits and meristems respond differently

Tissue LT₅₀ after 100 days at 10/5°C (°C)
Material in the publication	Photosynthetic parenchyma	Areole meristem
Nopalea cochenillifera	−9.1 ± 0.4	−11.3 ± 0.4
Opuntia robusta	−8.8 ± 0.4	−11.2 ± 0.4
Selenicereus megalanthus	−6.5 ± 0.3	−7.4 ± 0.4

Context and sources in the article

Field studies and a real winter

Damage to three-year-old opuntia segments after frost in Mendoza (%)
Material named in the publication	Plain	Dune	Mean
O. paraguayensis	0.0	0.7	0.3
O. robusta	3.0	0.9	2.0
O. spinulifera	3.7	6.5	5.1
O. ficus-indica “San Rafael”	19.2	10.6	14.9
O. ficus-indica “Cuenca”	25.7	23.6	24.6
O. ficus-indica “San Juan”	52.6	16.1	34.4

Context and sources in the article

Differential diagnosis table

Physiological symptom and checking its cause
Observation	What to check	Course of action
Pale patch after a change of position	Relationship to exposure, side of the stem, temperature	Gradual acclimatisation and observation of new growth
Narrow, elongated growth	Typical growth form and lighting history	Improved light suited to the growth stage
Wilting in a wet pot	Root condition, drainage, duration of moisture retention	Restoring suitable root conditions and distinguishing infection
Chlorosis after intensive fertilisation	EC, pH and root viability	Identifying the problem before further fertilisation
Watery tissue after cooling	Temperature history and expansion of damage	Isolating the plant and assessing lasting damage and secondary rot

Context and sources in the article

Products checked in official documents

Document status on 9.10.2026. Use depends on the full label
Product and user	What the document states	Relevance to cactus cultivation
Sanium AL Non-professional	Flupyradifurone, a ready-to-use spray product. Ornamental plants indoors and under cover, against pests including aphids, scale insects and greenhouse whitefly. [10-WWW]	Do not extend this scope to root drenching. Outdoor uses differ. The full label applies.
Mospilan 20 SP Professional	Acetamiprid. The label dated 11.08.2025 includes specified minor uses in ornamental plants under cover and in the ground. [10-WWW]	A product for professional users. The spraying scope does not include arbitrary drenching of the root ball.
Magnicur Energy Non-professional	Propamocarb and fosetyl. The label dated 24.02.2026 includes Phytophthora disease and diseases caused by Pythium in ornamentals, under specified conditions and at specified stages. [10-WWW]	It is not a universal product for every rot. The cultivation site, plant stage and diagnosis must be checked for the particular method.
Actellic 500 EC Professional	Pirimiphos-methyl. The current label concerns disinsection of warehouses and protection of specified cereal grain. [10-WWW]	The historical recommendation to use it against cactus pests does not match the current scope of this label.
Kaptan Gold 80 WG R-101/2021	The register gives 30.09.2026 as the deadline for using existing stocks. [10-WWW]	The deadline had passed by the verification date. This does not mean that all other captan-containing products have been withdrawn.

Context and sources in the article

Historical names still found in the current register

Products still registered. Current scope and restrictions
Product and user	Current use	Comment on the historical book
Basamid Professional. Fumigation training required	Dazomet. Soil or substrate disinfection before planting and sowing, within the scope specified by the label. [10-WWW]	The product remains in the register. This is a specialist substrate preparation treatment, rather than treatment of plants in a household pot.
Siarkol 80 WP Professional	Sulphur, a fungicide. The label includes powdery mildew of ornamental plants. [10-WWW]	The current formulation and its use are given. Historical sulphur use against “red spider” has not been carried over to the scope of this label.
Kaptan Zawiesinowy 50 WP Professional	Captan. The label dated 7.11.2025 includes apple and pear scab and, in permanent greenhouses, scab and leaf spots of ornamental trees and shrubs. For annual ornamental plants, it includes grey mould. [10-WWW]	Do not equate it with Kaptan Gold 80 WG or an old general recipe for cacti. The range of crops and diseases listed on this label applies.
Miedzian 50 WP R-134/2015 Professional and non-professional uses	Copper oxychloride. Uses include apple scab and fire blight. The documents specify the scope and method of use separately for professionals and amateurs. [10-WWW]	The brand remains in the register. Orchard and vegetable uses are not automatically extended to control of cactus rots.

Context and sources in the article

Historical products not adopted in the recommendations

Historical names whose old recipes must be rejected
Names in historical guides	Comparison result	Conclusion
Benlate, Fundazol, Dithane M-45, Novozir MN 80	No current products under these exact names were found in the register checked. [10-WWW]	Do not reproduce historical concentrations or mixtures. Any new product is assessed according to its own authorisation.
Ekatin, Anthio, Metasystox R, Rogor, Ultracid 40 EC	These exact names are absent from the list checked. [10-WWW]	Historical mealybug or mite control is not a current application instruction.
DDT and mercury products described historically	They have not been adopted in the recommendations. Fleischer and Schütz already noted restrictions on older products in their 1978 edition. [Fleischer and Schütz 1978, pp. 188–193]	The history of cultivation advice is retained without reproducing obsolete practice.
General names “sulphur”, “copper”, “captan”	The substance name alone does not specify a product or its current scope. [10-WWW]	Do not label an entire substance as authorised or withdrawn on the basis of one brand.

Context and sources in the article

How to compare the eight diagrams

Tubercle traits and botanical examples
Trait compared	Example	Basis of interpretation
Short-conical	Mammillaria mammillaris	Morphological description [Britton and Rose 1923, p. 70], current name [2-WWW]
Elongated	Mammillaria longimamma	Morphological description [Britton and Rose 1923, pp. 61–63], current name [2-WWW]
Cylindrical and rounded	Mammillaria bocasana	Morphological description [Britton and Rose 1923, p. 147], current name [2-WWW]
Slender and strongly tapering	Mammillaria longimamma, comparison of elongation	Morphological description [Britton and Rose 1923, pp. 61–63], current name [2-WWW]
Blunt-tipped	Mammillaria heyderi subsp. gaumeri	Morphological description [Britton and Rose 1923, pp. 72–73], current name [2-WWW]
Angular, approaching pyramidal	Mammillaria polyedra	Morphological description [Britton and Rose 1923, pp. 102–103], current name [2-WWW]
Laterally flattened	Mammillaria compressa	Morphological description [Britton and Rose 1923, pp. 90–92], current name [2-WWW]
Densely arranged	Mammillaria evermanniana	Morphological description [Britton and Rose 1923, p. 97], current name [2-WWW]

Context and sources in the article

Two different angles

Angle of the stem axis to the horizontal in the 1980 study [Ehleringer et al. 1980, Table 1. SD denotes standard deviation]
Taxon and location	Number of plants	Mean ± SD
C. cinerea, Paposo	50	44.6° ± 6.3°
C. cinerea, Taltal	50	65.6° ± 8.6°
C. cinerea subsp. columna-alba, Pan de Azúcar	100	51.9° ± 8.6°
C. gigantea, Paposo	50	42.1° ± 8.8°

Context and sources in the article

Category counts

Categories according to the Results section of the 2024 publication [Villalobo-Lopez et al. 2024, pp. 6–7]
Category	Number of taxa	Share of 37 assessments
CR · Critically Endangered	14	37.8%
EN · Endangered	14	37.8%
VU · Vulnerable	6	16.2%
LC · Least Concern	3	8.1%
Total CR + EN + VU	34	91.9%

Context and sources in the article

What differs between close relatives

Comparison of growth forms and flowers [de Vos et al. 2025][Korotkova et al. 2010]
Trait	Calymmanthium	Lymanbensonia
Habit	Branched shrubs or trees	Smaller plants, erect, spreading or hanging
Stem	Several thin, wing-like ribs	Flattened or angular, depending on species
Substrate	Terrestrial growth	Terrestrial, rock-dwelling or epiphytic growth
Flower bud	Hidden inside the short-shoot covering, which opens before flowering	More typical architecture, with an exposed developing perianth

Context and sources in the article

Two historical names in one current species

Selected chromosome count results in the 2019 paper [Las Peñas et al. 2019] [2-WWW]
Current name	Identification of material in the paper	2n	Number of x sets
T. alexanderi	T. alexanderi	22	2
T. bonnieae	T. bonnieae	44	4
T. articulatus	var. strobiliformis	77	7
T. articulatus	var. articulatus and var. oligacanthus	88	8
T. aoracanthus	T. aoracanthus	242	22
T. aoracanthus	T. paediophilus	319	29

Context and sources in the article

Sixty labelled stem segments

Successive runoff episodes. Distances as mean ± standard deviation [Almirón et al. 2019]
Episode	Rainfall and duration	Mean displacement
First	35 mm in 2 days	480.4 ± 210.0 m
Second	100 mm in 4 days	103.0 ± 138.9 m
Third	20 mm in several hours	33.2 ± 52.3 m

Context and sources in the article

Two circular sequences

Assembled sequences of two isolates [Oses Pedraza et al. 2023] [Bartholomäus et al. 2024]
Isolate	Publication year	Genome length	GC content
Arthrobacter sp. ATA002	2023	3 904 590 base pairs	65.9%
Cellulomonas sp. ATA003	2024	4 084 881 base pairs	73.8%

Context and sources in the article

The leaf's full-day balance

Daily components of leaf CO₂ uptake. Conditions 25/15°C, day/night of 12 h each [Nobel and Hartsock 1987]
Species	Drought [days]	Day [mmol m⁻²]	Night [mmol m⁻²]
Pereskiopsis porteri	0	108	7
Pereskiopsis porteri	7	6	72
Pereskiopsis porteri	14	1	35
Quiabentia verticillata (as Q. chacoensis)	0	129	9
Quiabentia verticillata	7	24	16
Quiabentia verticillata	14	0	2
Austrocylindropuntia subulata	0	111	2
Austrocylindropuntia subulata	7	6	24
Austrocylindropuntia subulata	14	0	15

Context and sources in the article

Two species, two responses

Germination after 30 days. Five replicates of 25 seeds per treatment [Jara-Peña et al. 2024]
Species and origin	12 h of light per day	Continuous darkness
Austrocylindropuntia floccosa, Apurímac	28.0%	32.8%
Cumulopuntia ignescens, Arequipa	36.0%	0%

Context and sources in the article

Three levels of the result

Measures of ant–cactus association [Braun and Lortie 2025][Lynch and Savage 2023]
Level	What was measured	Meaning
Visits	Number and identity of ants	Resource access and activity on the plant
Defence	Bug numbers or response to test prey	Herbivore pressure or defensive behaviour
Reproduction	Number of developed seeds per fruit	One component of reproductive outcome

Context and sources in the article

Force and strength describe different traits

Stem-segment junction tension. Medians in the experiment by Mylo and colleagues (2022) [Mylo et al. 2022]
Material studied	Maximum force [N]	Tensile strength [MPa]
Cylindropuntia bigelovii	14.4	1.41
Opuntia ficus-indica, younger lateral segment	51.2	3.84
Opuntia ficus-indica, older lateral segment	153	2.70

Context and sources in the article

Wound periderm

Course of healing under the experimental conditions of 30/20°C [Mylo et al. 2020]
Observation stage	Tissue change
First days	Edge curling and a lipophilic barrier at the wound surface
Around the first week	Visible pale layer of dead cells and development of wall changes
Subsequent weeks, through day 31	Organisation of wound periderm and remodelling of tissues beneath the surface

Context and sources in the article

Directions in wood

Levels of wood organisation in Cylindropuntia imbricata [Morankar et al. 2024]
Structural scale	Visible elements	Scope of information
Stem skeleton	Openings and connected wood bands	Geometry of the whole structure
Tissues and cells	Vessels, fibres, rays	Direction and type of wood organisation
Cell wall	Layers and pits	Local structure and response to pressure

Context and sources in the article

How many plants the camera detects

Correctly detected *S. wrightiae* relative to 480 plants in the ground census. Data from Bates et al. (2022), Table 2. Percentages were calculated from total counts. [Bates et al. 2022, Table 2, p. 7]
Flight height	Correctly detected	Proportion of ground census	Missed
10 m	183	38,1%	297
15 m	89	18,5%	391
20 m	46	9,6%	434

Context and sources in the article

Inhibition of two enzymes

IC₅₀ concentrations in enzyme tests, in µg/mL. Mean ± SD, three replicates described by the authors as biologically independent. A dash indicates the absence of a value in the source table. [Heraiz et al. 2026, Table 2, p. 8]
Material tested	AChE	BACE-1
Spines, methanolic extract	0,362 ± 0,012	0,425 ± 0,014
Stem, methanolic extract	0,603 ± 0,019	0,939 ± 0,031
A. oryzae culture, ethyl acetate extract	0,255 ± 0,008	0,550 ± 0,018
A. oryzae culture, subsequent methanolic extract	3,180 ± 0,104	1,882 ± 0,062
Donepezil, reference substance for AChE	0,167 ± 0,006	—
Curcumin, reference substance for BACE-1	—	0,350 ± 0,012

Context and sources in the article

Cooler air beside the stem surface

Daytime microclimate beside *Eulychnia breviflora*. Means from four sensor pairs, Table 1 of Stanton and colleagues. [Stanton et al. 2014]
Parameter	With epiphytes	Without epiphytes
Mean daytime temperature	15,1°C	17,3°C
Mean of daily maximum temperatures	20,9°C	25,1°C
Mean daytime VPD	0,69 kPa	1,02 kPa
Mean of daily maximum VPD values	1,54 kPa	2,33 kPa

Context and sources in the article

Seeds after passage through the digestive tract

Germination of surviving *Eulychnia acida* seeds in the experiment by Cares and colleagues. 100 seeds per group, about 26°C, photoperiod 14:10 h. [Cares et al. 2018]
Seed origin	Germination	Meaning of the comparison
Directly from fruits	52%	Control group
Recovered after goats	60%	No demonstrated difference from the control
Recovered after guanacos	13%	Lower than in the control

Context and sources in the article

The same seed batch under four conditions

Germination of seeds from the Santa Cruz population after four months. Mean ± standard error, three replicates of one hundred seeds each. [Jaramillo et al. 2010, methods on p. 22 and Table 2 on p. 24]
Preparation	Substrate in the dish	Germination [%]
Soaking for 24 h at 25°C	Moist filter paper	52,0 ± 10,2
Soaking for 24 h at 60°C	Moist filter paper	47,3 ± 8,1
No soaking	Moist soil	7,3 ± 3,0
No soaking	Moist filter paper	66,7 ± 8,6

Context and sources in the article

Crystals and fibres in a precisely defined location

Traits of the lineages compared in the 2019 studies. [Vázquez-Sánchez et al. 2019, Vázquez-Sánchez et al., pp. 409, 412, 416–417. De la Rosa-Tilapa et al., online version, pp. 2–4] [De la Rosa-Tilapa et al. 2019, Vázquez-Sánchez et al., pp. 409, 412, 416–417. De la Rosa-Tilapa et al., online version, pp. 2–4]
Genus	Seed microsculpture	Hypodermal crystals	Fibres in cortical bundles
Turbinicarpus	Striate	Prismatic	Absent in the material studied
Rapicactus	Papillate	Concentric druses	Absent in the material studied
Kadenicarpus	Smooth	Prismatic	Present in the material studied

Context and sources in the article

Two lineages in a mountain landscape

Site elevations in the data of Donati and colleagues. Ranges concern the dataset from the 2017 paper. [Donati et al. 2017, online version, pp. 5–7]
Group in the study	Site elevation	Band with the most taxa
Rapicactus	1360–3120 m above sea level	1400–1800 m above sea level
Turbinicarpus as treated by the authors	307–2185 m above sea level	1000–1400 m above sea level

Context and sources in the article

A papery ribbon and a corky structure

Fibre-wall thickness in selected radial spines, in µm. Mean ± standard deviation. [Mosco 2009, Table 2, pp. 122–123]
Taxon studied	Spine description	Fibres in the deeper portion	Thin-walled fibres
T. valdezianus	Woody structure, feathery epidermis	4,1 ± 0,9	Not found
T. schmiedickeanus subsp. flaviflorus (T. flaviflorus in the paper)	Papery	Not found	1,5 ± 0,3
T. schmiedickeanus subsp. rioverdensis (T. rioverdensis in the paper)	Corky, with fissures	3,1 ± 0,9	1,0 ± 0,2

Context and sources in the article

Multiplication and symptom frequency

Shoot number and explants with hyperhydricity symptoms in *T. valdezianus*. Comparison from Table 1 of the publication, described as an assessment after 12 weeks. [García Osuna et al. 2011, Table 1, p. 178]
Additive to the kinetin medium	Shoots per explant, mean	Explants with symptoms
Control without the tested additives	3,55 b	25%
Paclobutrazol, 3,4 × 10⁻⁴ M	18,00 a	0%
Prohexadione-calcium, 10⁻⁴ M	3,25 b	50%
Salicylic acid, 10⁻⁴ M	1,15 b	75%
Benzoic acid, 10⁻⁴ M	1,20 b	75%

Context and sources in the article

Different shrubs, different conditions

Abundance over a total area of 490 m². Data from Table 2 of the 2026 study. [Jiménez-Sierra et al. 2026, Table 2, p. 5]
Microhabitat	Area	Proportion of area	Individuals
Beneath vegetation	281,57 m²	57,5%	296
Open space	208,43 m²	42,5%	84
Total	490 m²	100%	380

Context and sources in the article

Buds remaining underground

Diagnostic features of the underground stem and root of *Lophophora williamsii*. Histological study of five plants. [Terry and Mauseth 2006, pp. 582–589, Table 2]
Tissue or structure	Underground stem	Root	Developmental significance
Outer parenchyma	Cortex with xylem and phloem bundles	In older portions, a zone of secondary phloem parenchyma without a cortical bundle network	The similar appearance of the swollen structure has different anatomical foundations
Organ centre	Parenchymatous pith without xylem elements	Expanded metaxylem and inner secondary xylem with scattered conducting elements	Allows organ identity to be determined in section
Areoles and their meristems	Living remnants can persist beneath the soil surface	No areoles	Retained stem buds produce new branches

Context and sources in the article

Clusters among empty plots

Random transects in six known populations of *Lophophora williamsii*. Each transect occupied 100 m². Data from May and July 2019, from Table 6 of the publication. [Ermakova et al. 2021, p. 156, Table 6]
Region and site	Transects with plants / all transects	Number of plants	Density on transects (ha⁻¹)
South, site 1	4 / 27	71	262,96
South, site 2	3 / 31	73	235,48
South, site 3	1 / 26	53	203,85
West, site 4	1 / 14	25	178,57
West, site 5	1 / 18	26	144,44
West, site 6	4 / 5	46	920,00

Context and sources in the article

Changing proportions with water availability

Seedling growth after six months of the experiment. Both light levels combined. Mean ± standard deviation. [Martínez-Berdeja and Valverde 2008, Table 4, p. 1770]
Substrate hydration relative to the reference value	Relative growth rate, g g⁻¹ day⁻¹	Root-to-shoot dry-mass ratio	Ratio of relative root and shoot growth rates, K
25%	0,007 ± 0,002	1,106 ± 0,353	2,775 ± 0,895
60%	0,009 ± 0,003	0,774 ± 0,388	1,51 ± 0,256

Context and sources in the article

Medium additives and the quality of new shoots

Response of Obregonia to additives in the common CM medium. Mean ± standard deviation. Data pooled for two explant types. [Cardarelli et al. 2010, Table 3, p. 34]
Medium treatment	Shoots per explant	Explants with callus, %	Spontaneous rooting, %
CM	1,0 ± 0,5	—	—
CM + putrescine, 1 mM	2,4 ± 0,6	16,7 ± 1,1	33,3 ± 3,7
CM + AgNO₃, 10,2 µM	1,2 ± 0,3	15,0 ± 1,0	14,6 ± 1,3
CM + CPPU, 12,1 µM	5,0 ± 0,4	36,8 ± 4,2	—

Context and sources in the article

Numbers of flowers, fruits and seedlings

Flowering and recruitment in one population in Querétaro. The initial census included 468 plants in an area of approximately 20 × 30 m. Searches for new seedlings were conducted twice a year. [Briseño-Sánchez et al. 2022, Table 1]
Year	Number of flowers	Flowers forming fruits	New seedlings
2015	462	44,3%	21
2016	562	22,2%	21
2017	783	26,3%	31
2018	835	44,5%	30
2019	115	62,6%	5
2020	162	25,9%	1
2021	423	32,8%	18

Context and sources in the article

Seeds stored for four years

Comparison of seed batches in the experiment conducted in 2018. Each batch comprised 50 seeds in ten dishes. Germination means the observed emergence of the radicle, and survival concerns established seedlings at the end of the short laboratory observation. The last column gives the mean ± standard error. [Briseño-Sánchez et al. 2024, pp. 5–7, Fig. 3–4]
Collection year and storage	Seeds in the sample	Observed germination	Seedling survival
2018, from the year of the experiment	50	62%	61 ± 5,92%
2014, approximately four years	50	52%	58 ± 4,81%

Context and sources in the article

A seed from a rocky canyon

Comparative characters of the taxa described. Botanical ranges from Arias and Sánchez-Martínez (2010), table 1. [Arias and Sánchez-Martínez 2010, p. 621, Table 1]
Taxon	Stem, height × diameter	Spines	Perianth colour
S. disciformis subsp. disciformis	3–12 × 3–9 cm	1–5, flexible, shed early	White to yellowish white
S. disciformis subsp. esperanzae	2,5–4,5 × 4–5 cm	1–5, flexible, shed early	Intense magenta
S. corregidorae	18–23 × 8–12 cm	3–5, longer and persistent	Yellow

Context and sources in the article

Air in the aril and coat cells

Return to the surface after controlled submersion to a depth of 8 cm. 40 different seeds per taxon, mean ± standard deviation. [Camacho-Velázquez et al. 2018, pp. 91, 94]
Taxon	Aril	Time to return to the surface
S. disciformis subsp. disciformis	Present	2,61 ± 0,53 s
S. disciformis subsp. esperanzae	Present	1,74 ± 0,65 s
S. corregidorae	Absent	4,72 ± 1,55 s

Context and sources in the article

Germination at a specified temperature and light regime

Germination at 25°C with 12 hours of light, on moist filter paper. Eight replicates of 30 seeds per taxon, observed for 30 days. Mean ± standard deviation. [Camacho-Velázquez et al. 2018, pp. 91, 94]
Taxon	Aril	Germination	Mean germination time
S. disciformis subsp. disciformis	Present	97,08 ± 3,75%	5,29 ± 0,04 days
S. disciformis subsp. esperanzae	Present	92,08 ± 7,75%	5,27 ± 0,06 days
S. corregidorae	Absent	96,67 ± 4,36%	5,31 ± 0,06 days

Context and sources in the article

Measuring nectar at a specified time

Tissue structure and refractometric nectar reading. Nectar collected at 15 hours in February 2018 from 15 flowers of different individuals of each taxon in the UNAM collection. The publication does not unambiguously define the measure of variation following the ± sign. [Camacho-Velázquez et al. 2019, pp. 102–104]
Taxon	Epidermal cells	Secretory parenchyma layers	Nectar reading
S. disciformis subsp. disciformis	Slightly convex	Approximately 10–12	22,09 ± 7,42°Brix
S. disciformis subsp. esperanzae	Relatively flat	Approximately 8–9	8,65 ± 3,98°Brix
S. corregidorae	Papillate convex	Approximately 7–8	16,12 ± 4,48°Brix

Context and sources in the article

Which processes had the greatest effect

Process elasticities in the P. bradyi model. Values from table 2 of the 2026 paper.
Process	Elasticity of λ
Survival	0,39
Stem growth in the visible state	0,24
Root elongation and exit from burial	0,17
Growth after the buried state	0,15
Entry into the buried state	−0,01

Context and sources in the article

Twenty years in one Utah plot

Scopes of three studies. Demographic data and habitat comparisons represent separate parts of the analyses.
Species	Material and period	Main observations
P. bradyi	965 plants, three plots, a 31-year database	Relationship of survival to diameter and transition to the buried state
P. nigrispinus	Four demographic plots, censuses in 2016–2019 and 2022	Loss of recorded plants, no new seedlings detected
P. winkleri	107 plants in one plot, 1995–2014	Effects of trampling and weather, reproduction concentrated in some specimens

Context and sources in the article

Cytokinin, apical dominance and successive cycles

Selected multiplication results from 2002. Number of shoots per initial explant, mean ± standard error. [Pérez-Molphe-Balch and Dávila-Figueroa 2002, Table 1–2, pp. 74–75]
Treatment	Shoots after 60 days	Shoots after 180 days
P. aselliformis, apex BA 4,4 µM, sucrose 30 g/L	13,23 ± 1,41	122,27 ± 9,05
P. aselliformis, apex BA 8,8 µM, sucrose 30 g/L	13,70 ± 1,37	128,07 ± 9,16
P. strobiliformis, disc BA 4,4 µM, sucrose 50 g/L	12,37 ± 1,21	119,33 ± 9,66
P. strobiliformis, apex BA 4,4 µM, sucrose 30 g/L	6,43 ± 0,40	136,33 ± 12,6

Context and sources in the article

The apex and an areole-bearing segment give different results

Micrografting of *P. aselliformis* onto *O. ficus-indica*. Mean ± standard error in the 2016 experiment. [Badalamenti et al. 2016, pp. 3–4, Table 1]
Measure	Apical scion	Subapical segment
Scion length	5 mm	3 mm
Number of micrografts	30	270
Successful micrografts	97 ± 0,7%	81 ± 1,2%
New shoots per scion	1,0 ± 0	2,7 ± 0,3
Length after 3 weeks	31 ± 0,6 mm	28 ± 0,4 mm
Length after 6 weeks	38 ± 0,3 mm	35 ± 0,5 mm

Context and sources in the article

Five or six flowering waves

Flowering of Neolloydia conoidea in Tolimán. Weekly observations. Mean fruit set ± standard error, the proportion of flowers forming fruits. Data from Arroyo-Pérez et al. 2019, table 1 and sample description. [Arroyo-Pérez et al. 2019, pp. 581–583, Table 1]
Year	Plants in the analysis	Flowering waves	Recorded flowers	Fruit set
2015	146	6	930	0,67 ± 0,022
2016	142	5	907	0,58 ± 0,023

Context and sources in the article

Pollen from other plants and the number of seeds formed

Controlled pollination of Neolloydia conoidea in Tolimán. 20 flowers per treatment. Fruit set is the percentage of flowers forming fruits. Seed set is the mean proportion of ovules forming seeds according to table 3 of Arroyo-Pérez et al. 2021. [Arroyo-Pérez et al. 2021, pp. 32, 35, Table 3]
Treatment	Fruit set	Seed set
Insect access, control	90%	0,73
Hand cross-pollination	95%	0,96
Hand self-pollination	0%	0
Isolation without pollination	0%	0

Context and sources in the article

Multiplication, shoot numbers and length

Multiplication of Ortegocactus macdougallii after 110 days, with NAA 4,4 µM in every treatment. Means ± standard error. Eight vessels containing six explants each per treatment, with the experiment repeated twice. Data from Arellano-Perusquía et al. 2013, table 2. [Arellano-Perusquía et al. 2013, pp. 161, 163, Table 2]
BA (µM)	Shoots per explant	Shoot length (mm)	Fresh mass (mg)
13,3	5,67 ± 0,49	4,78 ± 0,17	340,48 ± 47,06
19,9	5,83 ± 0,65	3,93 ± 0,26	388,62 ± 36,79
26,6	5,33 ± 0,72	3,67 ± 0,15	327,64 ± 26,17

Context and sources in the article

A separate stage of root formation

Rooting of Ortegocactus macdougallii shoots after 50 days. Means ± standard error. Eight vessels containing three explants each per treatment. IBA concentrations are given in µM in accordance with the methods and results descriptions. Data from Arellano-Perusquía et al. 2013, table 4. [Arellano-Perusquía et al. 2013, pp. 161, 164, Table 4]
Medium	Forming roots (%)	Number of roots	Root length (mm)
¼ MS, without regulators	58,34 ± 8,34	4,17 ± 0,48	11,32 ± 1,95
½ MS, without regulators	37,49 ± 11,68	5,00 ± 1,37	9,96 ± 3,05
½ MS + IBA 1,6 µM	45,83 ± 6,11	6,33 ± 0,77	8,99 ± 0,91
½ MS + IBA 4,9 µM	75,03 ± 5,45	9,92 ± 1,91	8,37 ± 1,56

Context and sources in the article

What the habitat model represents

Potential habitat area in three models. Values from table 2 of Solórzano et al. (2026).
Variable set	Potential area	Model assessment in the publication
Climate	34 469,25 km²	Lowest AICc and highest TSS of the three models.
Soil	77 082,23 km²	Broadest projection, including beyond the confirmed range.
Climate and soil	37 519,32 km²	Model preferred by the authors for its agreement with field observations and highest pROC.

Context and sources in the article

Accepted names and the 2026 expansion

Oehmea. Atlas classification and combinations from 2026. POWO status checked on 11 October 2026.
Name accepted in the atlas	Name in older accounts	Context
Oehmea beneckei	Mammillaria beneckei	Accepted by POWO. Buxbaum's 1951 combination.
Oehmea sphacelata	Mammillaria sphacelata	Accepted by POWO. Guiggi's 2022 combination.
Oehmea tonalensis	Mammillaria tonalensis	Accepted by POWO. Guiggi's 2022 combination.
Mammillaria napina	Mammillaria napina	2026 proposal. Oehmea napina.
Mammillaria zephyranthoides	Mammillaria zephyranthoides	2026 proposal. Oehmea zephyranthoides.

Context and sources in the article

Meristem size and stem size

Meristem dome width in eight stages of the San Ángel material studied. Mean ± standard deviation, from table 2 of López-Ruiz et al. (2026). [López-Ruiz et al. 2026, p. 1333, Table 2; stage characteristics, pp. 1328, 1330–1334]
Age after germination	Dome width	Stage characteristic
1 day	102,0 ± 30,2 µm	Closed cotyledons, two recognisable layers.
3 days	94,2 ± 23,7 µm	Tubercle primordia, three meristem layers.
7 days	140,2 ± 17,0 µm	First visible spines.
15 days	128,1 ± 23,9 µm	At least two tubercles with areoles.
30 days	137,0 ± 24,9 µm	Differentiation of the areole-covered part of the stem.
90 days	212,1 ± 34,0 µm	Meristem enlargement and spine stiffening.
1 year	224,7 ± 22,4 µm	Distinct spine pattern.
4 years	771,7 ± 64,5 µm	Flowering greenhouse plants.

Context and sources in the article

Different Mammillaria occupy different places

Spatial associations in the study by Peters et al. (2008). “Positive” means more plants than expected in a given microhabitat, and “negative” means fewer. Accepted names follow POWO. Historical supertexta groups are retained separately. [Peters et al. 2008, p. 596, Table 1] [2-WWW] [2-WWW]
Plant studied	Shrubs	Stones ≥20 cm
M. dixanthocentron	Association not significant in the test	Positive
M. hernandezii	Negative	Stones of this size were absent at the sites
M. kraehenbuehlii	Positive	Positive
M. supertexta (called M. lanata in the paper)	Negative	Negative
M. napina	Negative	Association not significant in the test
M. pectinifera	Association not significant in the test	Positive
M. solisioides	Negative	Negative
M. supertexta (under the same name in the paper)	Negative	Positive

Context and sources in the article

From a released seed to a seedling after the dry season

Serotiny in Mammillaria pectinifera. Estimates for 238 m² in Texcala
Quantity	1997–1998	1998–1999
Seeds released from retained fruits	35 508	32 259
Seeds released from ejected fruits	0	7634
All released seeds, estimate	35 508	39 893
Seedlings surviving the following dry season, estimate	17	95
Seedling establishment success, ‰	0,47	2,38

Context and sources in the article

Medium, light and the importance of a specific stage

Snowcap in vitro. Medium stages according to table 1 and the results of the 2023 paper.
Stage	Regulators in MS	Sucrose	Effect in the experiment
Shoot maintenance, MSM-1	NAA 0,5 mg/l + KIN 0,3 mg/l	20 g/l	Growth and material maintenance
Offset stimulation, MSM-2	NAA 0,5 mg/l + KIN 0,3 mg/l + GA₃ 5 mg/l for 3 days	20 g/l	Subsequent growth without GA₃
Rooting, MSM-3	NAA 0,5 mg/l + KIN 0,3 mg/l + ancymidol 5 mg/l	10 g/l	Root development on offsets

Context and sources in the article

Flowers require different preparation

Snowcap. Flower initiation in vitro after plant preparation and paclobutrazol treatment
Paclobutrazol, mg/l	Explants initiating flowers, %	Flowers per explant
0	0 ± 0	0 ± 0
0,3	0 ± 0	0 ± 0
0,5	0 ± 0	0 ± 0
1	66 ± 6	1,40 ± 0,16
3	21 ± 5	0,37 ± 0,10
5	11 ± 4	0,24 ± 0,09

Context and sources in the article

Soil and landforms

Selected site associations with soil and landscape map categories. Results of the frequency analysis in Aquino and co-authors (2021). [Aquino et al. 2021, pp. 4524–4525, Fig. 3]
Species	Categories with an excess of sites
E. bokei	Calcaric regosols
E. pachyrhiza	Calcaric xerosols and foothill zone
E. pulchra	Luvic kastanozems
E. spinosior	Luvic kastanozems and fold mountains
E. polycephala	Fold mountains

Context and sources in the article

Prism, druse, spherulite

Selected biomineral forms and examples directly shown. Plant names follow the current atlas treatment. [De la Rosa-Tilapa et al. 2022, pp. 3–7, Fig. 2, 4–6]
Form	Tissue and example	Observed characteristic
Prisms	Cortex of Epithelantha micromeris	Crystals with distinct flat faces
Druses	Cortex of Kroenleinia grusonii (called Echinocactus grusonii in the paper)	Clusters with projecting tips
Crystal sand	Cortex of Mammilloydia candida (called Mammillaria candida in the paper)	Fine particles up to approximately 5 µm
Spherulites	Pith of Mammilloydia candida	Radial arrangement and concentric bands
Silica bodies	Hypodermis of some Echinocactus and Ferocactus studied	Amorphous deposits without birefringence

Context and sources in the article

Unusual polymers in former Escobaria

Chemical identification of selected seed samples. The scope of the results corresponds to the material identifications in Chen and co-authors (2013). [Chen et al. 2013, pp. 203–208, Fig. 4–5]
Current name	Name used in the study	Result
Pelecyphora dasyacantha	Escobaria dasyacantha	Predominance of 5H. Almost homogeneous type in the NMR spectrum
Pelecyphora lloydii	Escobaria lloydii	5H and S units in chemical analysis products
Pelecyphora zilziana	Escobaria zilziana	5H and S, in proportions of approximately 63:37 in the analysed spectrum
Pelecyphora sneedii subsp. sneedii	Escobaria albicolumnaria	Typical G/S lignin
Pelecyphora vivipara	Escobaria vivipara, arizonica and neomexicana material	Typical G/S lignin
Epithelantha micromeris and E. greggii	The same species names	Lignin undetectable in the tests used

Context and sources in the article

Cell size and wall thickness

Selected mean spine cell-wall thicknesses in the study by Řepka and Gebauer (2012). Measurements were made on hydrated preparations. Unit µm. [Řepka and Gebauer 2012, p. 141, Table 2]
Material studied	Epidermis	Core fibres
P. abdita (E. abdita)	3,0	2,4
P. missouriensis, Montana sample (E. missouriensis subsp. missouriensis)	4,5	3,7
P. missouriensis, Arizona sample (E. missouriensis subsp. navajoensis)	3,6	4,0
P. minima (E. minima)	3,6	3,3
P. hesteri (E. hesteri)	4,2	3,8

Context and sources in the article

Seeds from different zones were transferred to common conditions

Germination under the experimental conditions. Age means the estimated age of the tubercle zone, and the percentage is the mean reported in the publication. [Jiménez-Sierra et al. 2022, pp. 364–365, Tables 1–2]
Material	Estimated zone age	Seeds / dishes	Mean germination
Fresh fruits	current year's cohort	100 / 10	13%
Zone 1	2,7 years	100 / 10	56%
Zone 2	7,3 years	100 / 10	51%
Zone 3	13,3 years	80 / 8	52%
Zone 4	19,8 years	19 / 3	73%
Zone 5	23,9 years	39 / 3	40%

Context and sources in the article

Self-pollen was often arrested in the style

Response to hand self-pollination. Microscopy and fruit set were assessed in separate flowers. n denotes the size of each sample. [Martínez-Peralta et al. 2014b, p. 535, Table 1]
Species under the current treatment	Ovaries with pollen tubes (%) / n	Flowers setting fruit (%) / n
A. agavioides	25 / 28	6,9 / 29
A. bravoanus	33,3 / 3	0 / 5
A. fissuratus	7,7 / 39	1,5 / 67
A. kotschoubeyanus	18,9 / 53	19 / 124
A. retusus	3,8 / 26	4,3 / 69
A. scaphirostrus	0 / 37	2 / 50
A. trigonus	18,5 / 27	5,1 / 39

Context and sources in the article

Habitat loss and the emergence of new areas

Change in area judged suitable by the BRT model. All values refer to the baseline area of habitats assessed as suitable. Net loss is the loss minus the newly suitable area. [Breslin et al. 2020, p. 13217, corrected Table 1]
Horizon and RCP	Loss of current area	Newly suitable area	Net loss
2050 · 2.6	46%	19%	27%
2050 · 4.5	48%	10%	38%
2050 · 6.0	47%	14%	33%
2050 · 8.5	52%	25%	27%
2070 · 2.6	50%	29%	21%
2070 · 4.5	50%	5%	45%
2070 · 6.0	50%	6%	44%
2070 · 8.5	55%	2%	53%

Context and sources in the article

Characters useful for identification

Selected characters from the results and key of the 2019 revision. Areole dimensions were converted from centimetres to millimetres. Ranges apply to the material and treatment of this study. For *E. pachyrhiza*, former subsp. *parvula* was examined directly. [Aquino et al. 2019, pp. 606, 608, 610–612, 615]
Species	Areoles and spines	Flower or underground part
Epithelantha bokei	60–80 spines, persistent small projections on the spines	Projections visible by electron microscopy
E. cryptica	Oval areoles, 0,60–0,75 mm wide	Flowers 11–12 mm long
E. greggii	19–30 spines, round areoles, 1,15–1,50 mm wide	Ordinary slender roots
E. ilariae	Fewer than 40 spines, without persistent projections	Flowers 17–18 mm long, opening in the evening
E. micromeris	Narrow areoles, 0,20–0,30 mm wide	Flowers 6–7 mm long
E. pachyrhiza	White spines, elliptical areoles, 0,45–0,55 mm wide	Thickened roots
E. polycephala	Brown spines, areoles 0,90–1,80 mm wide	Thickened roots
E. potosina	39–43 spines, areoles 0,50–0,70 mm long	Thickened roots
E. pulchra	40–55 spines, round areoles	Thickened roots
E. spinosior	19–25 spines, elliptical areoles	Slender roots, part of the stem underground

Context and sources in the article

Self-pollen and foreign pollen in five treatments

Fruit set in the studied Thelocactus leucacanthus population in Querétaro[Delgado-Ramírez et al. 2021, p. 798, Table 3]
Treatment	Flowers / plants	Fruits	Seeds per fruit, mean ± SD
Freely accessible flowers	30 / 10	30, or 100%	65,76 ± 25,42
Hand pollination with foreign pollen	29 / 10	29, or 100%	61,52 ± 45,19
Hand self-pollination	24 / 8	0	No fruits formed
Spontaneous self-pollination under cover	15 / 5	0	No fruits formed
Apomixis trial	6 / 3	0	No fruits formed

Context and sources in the article

Nine species and different dominant plants

Models of nine Thelocactus species. Data from Mosco's tables 1–2[Mosco 2019, p. 6, Tables 1–2]
Species	Sites	Levins' niche breadth	Highest permutation importance
T. bicolor	213	0,282	Isothermality, 39,0%
T. buekii	50	0,030	Precipitation of the wettest quarter, 36,6%
T. conothelos	119	0,025	Precipitation of the driest quarter, 61,2%
T. hastifer	11	0,178	Isothermality, 77,8%
T. hexaedrophorus	195	0,099	Isothermality, 66,0%
T. leucacanthus	73	0,050	Isothermality, 66,0%
T. multicephalus	13	0,100	Isothermality, 33,0%
T. rinconensis	47	0,062	Precipitation of the wettest quarter, 58,4%
T. tulensis	117	0,020	Isothermality, 54,4%

Context and sources in the article

Comparison of 132 adult plants

Number of complete ribs in plants studied by González-Zamora and coauthors[González-Zamora et al. 2023, p. 95, Table 5]
Group	Number of plants	Mean ± SD	Range
S. coptonogonus	53	13,0 ± 0,39	12–14
S. obvallatus (S. pentacanthus in the study)	56	37,0 ± 4,9	30–53
S. × irregularis	23	19,0 ± 3,6	15–28

Context and sources in the article

Two-year-old plants during summer warming

Microclimate of the summer experiment. Means ± standard error[Aragón-Gastélum et al. 2017b, p. 95, microclimate results]
Parameter	Control plot	Warming chambers
Mean air temperature	21,5 ± 0,3°C	23,4 ± 0,4°C
Mean daily maximum	33,5 ± 0,7°C	39,3 ± 1,0°C
Mean daily minimum	12,5 ± 0,4°C	12,8 ± 0,4°C
Relative air humidity	69,6 ± 2,1%	65,9 ± 2,4%

Context and sources in the article

Three Neoraimondia solution concentrations

Water parameters after application of Neoraimondia arequipensis extract. Means ± SD[Choque-Quispe et al. 2020, p. 92, Table 1]
Extract solution	Turbidity removal	Flocculation index	pH	BOD, mg O₂/l
1%	92,64 ± 0,33%	28,41 ± 0,94	6,75 ± 0,03	3,08 ± 0,02
2%	92,79 ± 0,18%	30,36 ± 0,11	6,93 ± 0,04	3,32 ± 0,02
3%	92,78 ± 0,09%	30,38 ± 0,11	7,02 ± 0,01	3,34 ± 0,03

Context and sources in the article

Structure helps identify the plant

Examples of families and water-storage organs
Family	Example	Storage organ
Cactaceae	Carnegiea gigantea	Stem
Aizoaceae	Lithops ruschiorum	Leaf
Crassulaceae	Crassula deceptor	Leaf
Asphodelaceae	Aloe striata	Leaf
Asparagaceae	Agave shawii	Leaf
Apocynaceae	Hoodia gordonii	Stem

Context and sources in the article