| Melocactus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Melocactus bahiensis | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Tribe: | Cereeae |
| Subtribe: | Cereinae |
| Genus: | Melocactus Link &Otto, nom. cons.[1] |
| Type species | |
| Melocactus communis (nowMelocactus intortus) | |
| Species | |
Melocactus (melon cactus), also known as theTurk's head cactus,Turk's cap cactus, orPope's head cactus, is agenus ofcactus with about 30–40species. They are native to theCaribbean, westernMexico throughCentral America to northernSouth America, with some species along theAndes down to southernPeru, and a concentration of species in northeasternBrazil.[2]
The first species was named byCarl Linnaeus in 1753, asCactus melocactus. When the genus was separated fromCactus, the pre-Linnaean nameMelocactus was used. Acting on theprinciple of priority, in 1922Nathaniel Britton andJoseph Rose resurrected Linnaeus'Cactus. However, the 1905 Vienna botanical congress had already rejected the nameCactus, so this name was not available, andMelocactusLink & Otto is the correct genus name.[2]
%2c_da_Cole%25C3%25A7%25C3%25A3o_Brasiliana_Iconogr%25C3%25A1fica.jpg)
Mature plants are easily recognizable by theircephalium, a wool- and bristle-coated structure at the apex of the plant, containing a mass ofareoles from which the small flowers grow.[2] The red, wool-coated cephalium, said to resemble thefez worn byTurkish men during the lateOttoman Empire, gives the plant one of its common names, Turk's cap cactus. It gives its name to theTurks Islands, part of theTurks and Caicos Islands.[3][4]
The fruits ofMelocactus are pink and resemble the shape of pepper fruits. The fruits of this genus are edible, and in the wild they are frequently dispersed by lizards and birds.[5]
As of September 2023[update],Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[1]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Melocactus acunaeLeón | Eastern Cuba | |
 | Melocactus andinusR.Gruber ex N.P.Taylor | Venezuela |
 | Melocactus azureusBuining & Brederoo | Brazil (Bahia) |
| Melocactus bahiensis(Britton & Rose) Luetzelb. | Brazil (Bahia) |
 | Melocactus bellavistensisRauh & Backeb. | Ecuador and Peru |
 | Melocactus brauniiEsteves | Brazil (Bahia) |
| Melocactus brederooianusBuining | Brazil (Bahia) | |
| Melocactus broadwayi(Britton & Rose) A.Berger | Trinidad & Tobago | |
 | Melocactus caroli-linnaeiN.P.Taylor | Jamaica |
 | Melocactus conoideusBuining & Brederoo | Brazil |
.jpg) | Melocactus curvispinusPfeiff. | Mexico, Central America, Colombia and western Venezuela |
 | Melocactus deinacanthusBuining & Brederoo | Brazil |
 | Melocactus ernestiiVaupel | Brazil (Bahia and Minas Gerais.) |
 | Melocactus estevesiiP.J.Braun | Brazil (Roraima) |
| Melocactus evaeZ.Mészáros | Southeastern Cuba | |
| Melocactus ferreophilusBuining & Brederoo | Brazil (Bahia) | |
 | Melocactus glaucescensBuining & Brederoo | Brazil |
 | Melocactus harlowii(Britton & Rose) Vaupel | Cuba |
 | Melocactus heimeniiP.J.Braun & Gonç.Brito | Brazil (Bahia) |
| Melocactus holguinensisAreces | Cuba | |
| Melocactus inconcinnusBuining & Brederoo | Northeastern Brazil | |
.jpg) | Melocactus intortus(Mill.) Urb. | Bahamas to Turks-Caicos Islands, Puerto Rico to Lesser Antilles |
| Melocactus lagunaensis(Z.Mészáros) D.Barrios & Majure | Southeastern Cuba | |
 | Melocactus lanssensianusP.J.Braun | Brazil (Pernambuco) |
| Melocactus lemairei(Monv. ex Lem.) Miq. ex Lem. | Hispaniola (NW. Haiti, W. & Southern Dominican Republic) | |
 | Melocactus levitestatusBuining & Brederoo | Central & Eastern Brazil |
.jpg) | Melocactus macracanthos(Salm-Dyck) Link & Otto | Aruba to Netherlands Antilles |
 | Melocactus matanzanusLeón | Cuba |
| Melocactus mazelianusRíha | Eastern Colombia to Venezuela | |
| Melocactus nagyiZ.Mészáros | Southeastern Cuba | |
| Melocactus neoviridescensGuiggi | Northeastern Brazil | |
 | Melocactus neryiK.Schum. | Venezuela to N. Brazil |
 | Melocactus oreasMiq. | Brazil |
 | Melocactus pachyacanthusBuining & Brederoo | Brazil |
 | Melocactus paucispinusHeimen & R.J.Paul | Bahia, Brazil |
| Melocactus pedernalensisM.M.Mejía & R.G.García | Southeastern Haiti to southwestern Dominican Republic | |
| Melocactus perezassoiAreces | Central Cuba | |
 | Melocactus peruvianusVaupel | Peru |
| Melocactus praerupticolaAreces | Dominican Republic | |
| Melocactus pruinosusWerderm. | Brazil (Bahia, Minas Gerais) | |
| Melocactus radocziiZ.Mészáros | Southeastern Cuba | |
 | Melocactus salvadorensisWerderm. | Brazil (Southern Bahia, Minas Gerais) |
| Melocactus santiagoensisD.Barrios & Majure | Cuba | |
 | Melocactus schatzliiH.Till & R.Gruber | Venezuela (Mérida) |
 | Melocactus sergipensisN.P.Taylor & Meiado | Brazil (Sergipe) |
_Buining_ex_G.D.Rowley.jpg) | Melocactus smithii(Alexander) Buining ex G.D.Rowley | Brazil |
| Melocactus stramineusSuringar | Aruba | |
 | Melocactus violaceusPfeiff. | Northeastern Brazil (to Northeastern Minas Gerais) |
_Luetzelburg_Rio_Grande_do_Norte%2c_Brasil.jpg) | Melocactus zehntneri(Britton & Rose) Luetzelb. | Northeastern Brazil |
As of September 2023[update],Plants of the World Online accepted the following natural hybrids:[1]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Melocactus ×albicephalusBuining & Brederoo | Brazil (Bahia) |
| Melocactus ×horridusWerderm. | Brazil (Pernambuco) | |
| Melocactus ×trachycephalusSuringar | Aruba |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
Media related toMelocactus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toMelocactus at Wikispecies| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
