Frailea gracillima

Original Publication

Echinocactus gracillimus Monville in Lemaire, Cact. Gen. Nov. Sp. 24. 1839.
Lemaire, Charles in: Cactearum genera nova speciesque novae et omnium in horto Monvilliano cultarum ex affinitatibus naturalibus ordinatio nova indexque methodicus, pages 24 and 25, Paris January 1839

Original Description
From The Cactaceae, Band 3, page 209, Washington 1922

The slender hedgehog - cactus
Diagn. - Columnaris, cinereo - virens, obsolete sedecies tuberculato - costatus, sub tuberculis confertissimis atro - violaceus; areolis minutissimis, sublanatis; aculeis biformibus, setaceis, gracillimis; duodecim circiter radiantibus minimis; centralibus duobus, tribus aut quatuor suberectis, atro - fuscis, paulo validioribus, longioribus; omnibus rigidis.
Tuberculi vix prominentes, in sexdecim series subverticales dispositi, virescentes subtusque atro - violacei; areolae minutissimae, sublanatae, mox nudae, quoquoversum lineis duabus distantes; aculei biformes sexdecim circiter in numero; duodecim tredecimve radiantes vix incurvi, setacei, gracillimi, albi, translucidi, rigidiores, unam lineam cum media longi; inferiores paulo longiores; centrales duo, tres aut etiam quatuor suberecti, flexuosi, quamvis rigidi, inaequales, subdivergentes, validiores, rubro - violacei, ad duas quatuorve lineas longi.
Species statura floreque insignis. Ille vero tam fugitivus, ut, invita omni attentione et maxime studiosa, in ullo diei noctisque momento, fortasse tenuitatis aut etiam hiatus arctioris gratia, perspici nondum potuerit. Attamen ovarium statim prominens, prae plantae statura, crassissimum, florem semper ad apicem gerit nec adhuc plane marcidum (hunc non hiare profecto mihi cogitatione fingo). Nihilominus flores et fructus jam profert vix bimus. Fructus est ovoïdeus, utrinque attenuatus, lutescenti - virens (quando maturus), quinque sexve lineas longus, quatuor et latus, squammosus; squammi purpurei, lanceolata - lineari, macula purpurea ad basim sub tuberculo asportante notati, lana setosa, longiore, abundanti, cinero - fulva, aculeisque duobus aut tribus setaceis, atro - purpureis suffulti; lana aculeique confertissimi, praecipue ad apicem, fructum totum obtegentes; semina subglobosa, numerosissima, fusca (dein nigra) ? nec in pulpa nidulantia, sicut in Cereis, Opuntiis, Mammillariis, etc., sed ad ovarii parietem funiculo brevissimo affixa, sicut in Echinonyctanthis, Echinocactisque multis (ovarii pariente interna libera, alba, pulposa, sicut textili), unde Cacteae dividi possent in ? baccae pulposae, ? baccae epulposae, baccae squammosae, baccae leves, etc.
With thanks to Wolfgang Gemmrich for this first description.

Distribution
Paraguay

References in Literature
▪ Alweer een artikel over Frailea's. J.J. De Morree, Succulenta (Netherlands) 68(5): 100-103, 1989.
▪ Cactussen. Cactus V03 - 1971, pag. 89-96
▪ Cumprimentos da foto do pampa 9. Angela & Frederico Jaekel. Internoto Volume 29, no. 1, 2008.
▪ De genus Frailea Geschiedenis en cultuur. Albert Leroy. Cactussen en Vetplanten, 25e jaargang 2008, no 1.
▪ Eine kleine Reise durch Rio Grande do Sul, den südlichsten Bundesstaat Brasiliens. Andreas Hofacker. Kaktusblüte, April 2003
▪ Fascinating Frailea, Part 1: General impressions. Marlon C Machado. Cactus World (BCSS) Volume 25 No. 1 March 2007
▪ Fascinating Frailea, Part 2: Review of the species from Rio Grande do Sul. Marlon C Machado. Cactus World (BCSS) Volume 25 No. 2 June 2007
▪ Frailea; een groot Zuid-Amerikaans geslacht. Jan Jaap de Morree. Succulenta (Netherlands) 73(4): 191-194, 1994.
▪ Frailea knippeliana, verkannt? verschollen? ausgerottet? Wilhelm Simon. KuaS 1970,_no 2,_page 40
▪ Nieuwe cactussen uit Zuid-Amerika II. F. Ritter. Succulenta (Netherlands) 49(8): 124-125, 1970.
▪ Notocactus müller-melchersii. door A. F. H. BUINING (lid I.O.S.). Succulenta (Netherlands) 45(3): 43-45, 1956.
▪ Notocactus rudibuenekeri var. glomeratus N. Gerloff. Angela und Frederico Jaekel. Internoto 32(1), 2011: 25-30.
▪ Notocactus scopa fa. machadoensis (W.-R. Abraham) Gerloff, N. & Neduchal, J. hat keine einheitliche Narbenfarbe Norbert Gerloff. Internoto Volume 34, no. 3, 2013.
▪ Op zoek naar cactussen in Rio Grande Do Sul (I). Prestlé, K.H., Succulenta (Netherlands) 60(3): 74-75, 1981.
▪ The Cactaceae. Britton & Rose, 1922.
▪ The Ritter Collections. Eggli, Muñoz & Leuenberger. Englera 16, pag. 602 and 603
▪ Wat denkt U van ...(15) Frailea gracillima (Monv. ex. Lem.) Br. & R.. Th.M.W. Neutelings, Succulenta (Netherlands) 60(8): 176-177, 1981.

History

Comments

Field Numbers
FR 948
FR 948b
A full listing of all associated field collector data can be found on our field number reference pages.

See Also

More pictures

Frailea gracillima WG 344 in nature (NE Pedras Altas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). photo: Wolfgang Gemmrich)

Frailea gracillima WG 759 in nature (Cerro da Lagoa, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). photo: Wolfgang Gemmrich)