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| Turbinicarpus | |
|---|---|
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| Turbinicarpus saueri subsp.knuthianus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Tribe: | Cacteae |
| Genus: | Turbinicarpus (Backeb.)Buxb. &Backeb.[1] |
| Type species | |
| Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus | |
| Species | |
Turbinicarpus is agenus of very small to medium-sizedcacti, which inhabit the north-eastern regions ofMexico, in particular the states ofSan Luis Potosí,Guanajuato,Nuevo León,Querétaro,Hidalgo,Coahuila,Tamaulipas andZacatecas.
The taxon was first proposed byCurt Backeberg asStrombocactus subgenusTurbinicarpus. It was elevated to a genus in 1937 byFranz Buxbaum and Backeberg.[1] Thecircumscription ofTurbinicarpus has been described as "remarkably unstable", with species regularly transferred to other genera.[2] Its taxonomic history is often mixed with that of other genera likeEchinocactus,Echinomastus,Gymnocactus,Mammillaria,Neolloydia,Normanbokea,Pediocactus,Pelecyphora,Strombocactus,Thelocactus andToumeya, as the results of almost two centuries of constant evolution in the understanding of the affinities and relationships inside the family Cactaceae. A genus revision byDavide Donati in 2003, and again in 2004 with Carlo Zanovello, was based on a wide range of characters. At the end of that study,Rapicactus was considered a distinct genus fromTurbinicarpus. The genusTurbinicarpus was subdivided in two subgenera at the light of the results of the DNA analysis, and into many series because of the ontogeny of the spination.[3] The broad circumscription ofTurbinicarpus was recognized aspolyphyletic by Hunt in 2016.[4] Aphylogenetic study published in 2019 showed that bothKadenicarpus andRapicactus were distinct from a more narrowly circumscribed and so monophyleticTurbinicarpus:[2]
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As of March 2022[update],Plants of the World Online accepted the following species and hybrids:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Turbinicarpus alonsoiGlass & S.Arias | Mexico. |
| Turbinicarpus boedekerianusGarcía-Mor., Gonz.-Bot., Matusz., Nitzschke & Iamonico | Mexico (Nuevo León) | |
 | Turbinicarpus gielsdorfianus(Werderm.) V.John & Ríha | Mexico (San Luis Potosí) |
 | Turbinicarpus graminispinusMatusz., Myák & Jirue | Mexico (Nuevo León) |
| Turbinicarpus heliaeGarcía-Mor., Díaz-Salím & Gonz.-Bot. | Mexico (Hidalgo) | |
 | Turbinicarpus hoferiLüthy & A.B.Lau | Mexico (Nuevo León) |
.jpg) | Turbinicarpus lauiGlass & R.A.Foster | Mexico (San Luis Potosí) |
 | Turbinicarpus lophophoroides(Werderm.) Buxb. & Backeb. | Mexico (Ciudad del Maiz on the north, and Cerritos-Villa Juarez on the west and Rio Verde ) |
| Turbinicarpus nikolaenicer, Myák, Zachar & Jirue | Mexico Northeast | |
 | Turbinicarpus pseudopectinatus(Backeb.) Glass & R.A.Foster | Mexico(Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, and Tamaulipas ) |
| Turbinicarpus saueri(Boed.) V.John & Ríha | Mexico ( San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas ) |
.jpg) | Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus(Boed.) Buxb. & Backeb. | Mexico(Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas ) |
 | Turbinicarpus swobodaeDiers | Mexico (Rayones, Nuevo León) |
 | Turbinicarpus valdezianus(H.Moeller) Glass & R.A.Foster | Mexico (Coahuila and San Luis Potosí) |
 | Turbinicarpus viereckii(Werderm.) V.John & Ríha | Mexico (Tamaulipas, Nuevo León and San Luis Potosí) |
| Image | Scientific name | Parentage | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Turbinicarpus ×mombergeriRíha | Turbinicarpus pseudopectinatus ×Turbinicarpus laui | Mexico (Cerritos, San Lois Potosi ) |
| Turbinicarpus ×pulcherrimusHalda & Panar. | Turbinicarpus pseudopectinatus ssp.jarmilae ×Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus sspklinkerianus | Mexico (Nuevo León) | |
.jpg) | Turbinicarpus ×roseiflorusBackeb. | Turbinicarpus viereckii ×Turbinicarpus laui | Mexico Northeast |
The following genera haven been brought into synonymy withTurbinicarpus:
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These succulent plants grow mostly on limestone soil (never on volcanic soil), at altitudes between 300 and 3300 metres above sea level.
Turbinicarpus species are usually confined to specific habitats, generally hostile for the majority of plants, mostly in very drained rocky areas, composed of limestone, sandstone, schist (neutral or alkaline), or in very acidic and humiferous understorey, or in gypsum veins, sometimes so pure that they are almost white.
In particular,Turbinicarpus sensu stricto is adapted to extreme niches: more than 80% of the species grow in rock cracks or among the pebbles beneath them, where enough dust has accumulated to enable root development. It would seem almost impossible that plants so small could survive in such an environment, however in those species that inhabit dry and exposed areas, the root is very thick, becoming a taproot and acting like an anchor on the slopes but, more important, as water storage for the dry periods, capable of significantly retracting into the ground so that the stem is less exposed to the sun; the spines are often changed to adopt a very papery structure, capable of absorbing good quantities of water. Furthermore, the general look is extremely mimetic, thanks to the epidermis colour and the interlacing spines, guaranteeing a certain protection from eventual herbivores.
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