Pediocactus papyracanthus extrafloral nectar

[nirwa]

Pediocactus papyracanthus

[IMG]http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii22/nirwa/drew1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii22/nirwa/drew2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii22/nirwa/drew5.jpg[/IMG]

[lenbell]

If you taste it, it will probably be quite sugary.

[DaveW]

Interesting, I did not know P. papyracanthus had extra floral nectaries.

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bws/efns.html

DaveW

[Vic]

Nice pics Nirwa! Do you have many plants - Sclerocactus, Pediocactus etc...??

Still call mine Toumeya:) Haven't they been lumped into Sclerocactus now:S

[iann]

I don't think anyone puts this one in Pediocactus any more. Other Sclerocactus and Sclerocactus-like plants do have extrafloral nectaries, I don't know if they all do.

[nirwa]

They are my first P. papyracanthus. I did not know they have extrafloral nectar glands as well. I just thought those droplets were just dews. After days sun exposing, they're still there. they could be the nectar, I think.

I have no idea if Sclerocactus and Pediocactus, even Ferocactus are relative ? Because like this P. papyracanthus was classified into Pediocactus once, and now is in Sclerocactus.
( I don't have the book "The new cactus lexicon" beside me. I will check it out when I go back home. )

Thanks for the praise, Vic.
I don't have many plants. I am merely a balcony cacti grower. That's why I grow mostly small cacti. And, The ones in the photos are just matured seedlings. They're my the only 2 Pediocactus.

Some people still use the synonyms broadly, I think. Maybe just because of not knowing the new taxonomic name. It really causes chaos and confusing. For example, I can check out some web data by searching engine via the keyword "Pediocactus papyracanthus" but also "Sclerocactus papyracanthus" and "Toumeya papyracanthus".

[Vic]

Definitely the nectar Nirwa, you can leave it or use a cotton bud or such like to dab it up then there's less chance of sooty mould developing, which is harmless anyhow just sometimes unsightly. Although I did read somewhere that fungal spores can enter through the aeroles of Pediocactus causing internal infection and the eventual death of the plant. However,I think this concerns proper Pediocactus species such as peeblesianus which have spines that can absorb water.

More info here regarding Toumeya papyracantha http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur ... GB279GB280

It seems apt to keep the generic name Toumeya as it commemorates Professor James Toumey. Some interesting pics here http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur ... GB279GB280

[nirwa]

I've noted that Toumeya have been lumped into Sclerocactus in "The Cactus Lexicon". Toumeya papyracanthus, Pediocactus papyracanthus and other taxonomic names are now synonyms by now in TCL.

Vic, those nectar dews are just too small to taste them. But I will try some other time by using a needle. Besides the spines of Pediocactus could collect the fog-formed dews, I know some Turbinicarpus species could also collect the moist via the spines, eg. Turbinicarpus gracilus.
As you said, the nectar sometimes brings the fungus and disease to cacti, so I sometimes spray water onto my Ferocactus cacti areoles in order to wash out the nectar they secreted.


Thanks for the web links. The cactus-art.biz is one of my favorite cactus references.