| Blossfeldia | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Tribe: | Blossfeldieae Crozier |
| Genus: | Blossfeldia Werderm. |
| Species: | B. liliputana |
| Binomial name | |
| Blossfeldia liliputana Werderm.[1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Blossfeldia is agenus ofcactus (family Cactaceae) containing only one species,Blossfeldia liliputana,[1] native toSouth America in northwesternArgentina[2] (Jujuy,[3]Salta,Tucumán,Catamarca andMendoza Provinces)[4] and southernBolivia[2] (Santa Cruz andPotosí Departments).[4] It grows at 1,200–3,500 m altitude in theAndes, typically growing in rock crevices,[2] and often close towaterfalls.[citation needed]
It is of note as the smallest cactus species in the world, with a mature size of around 10–12 mm diameter, solitary or with many dark green stems forming colonies in the fissures of the rocks, it does not have ribs or tubercles, nor spines. Theflowers are white or rarely pink, 6–15 mm long and 5–7 mm diameter.[2]
The genusBlossfeldia has been divided into many separate species; however most morphological evidence supports that the genus is monotypic, and contains onlyBlossfeldia liliputiana.[5]The flowers emerge from the apex of the stem, 0.5 to 1 cm long and 0.5 cm in diameter, white. They self-pollinate. The fruit is globose, red and woolly with very small brown seeds.
The species is named after the fictional country ofLilliput, where all of the inhabitants are minute.
The genus and species were first described in 1937 byErich Werdermann after being discovered in northern Argentina byHarry Blossfeld andOreste Marsoner while exploring northern Argentina in 1936.[3] The genus name honors Blossfeld.[2]Blossfeldia liliputiana has several features making it unique among cacti, including a very small number ofstomata, the absence of a thickened cuticle, and hairy seeds with anaril. It is placed in the subfamilyCactoideae, and traditionally in the tribeNotocacteae.[2] However,molecular phylogenetic studies have repeatedly shown that it is sister to the remaining members of the subfamily, and well removed from other genera placed in the Notocacteae:[6][7]
| subfamily Cactoideae |
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Nyffeler and Eggli, in their 2010 classification of Cactaceae, accepted tribe Blossfeldieae as outlined by Crozier,[8] within Cactoideae.[9] Earlier,Blossfeldia was considered as a distinct genus within the tribe Notocacteae;[2] it had even been placed in an entirely separate subfamily, Blossfeldioideae.[8]
A nomenclature synonym isParodia liliputana (Werderm.) N.P.Taylor (1987).
Media related toBlossfeldia at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toBlossfeldia at Wikispecies