E. Lutz resumes his observations and experiences of more than 20 years of intense field research on plants of the genus Escobaria and presents his own classification of the genus.
In his article he discusses only taxa growing in the USA and Canada.


Genus Escobaria

1.     Escobaria vivipara Group
   
Escobaria vivipara var. vivipara
    
Escobaria vivipara var. vivipara f. radiosa
Synonym:      Escobaria vivipara var. radiosa
Notes:      E. Lutz holds the taxon Escobaria vivipara var. radiosa to be only a habitat form of E. vivipara var. vivipara.
 
Escobaria vivipara var. arizonica
Notes:      The biggest representative of E. vivipara, specification of individual taxa among E. vivipara var. rosea, E. vivipara var. kaibabensis and E. vivipara var. bisbeeana is not easy.
 
Escobaria vivipara var. arizonica f. kaibabensis
Synonym:      Escobaria vivipara var. kaibabensis
Notes:      Major differences between juvenille and mature plants. Spines of mature plants is identical with spines of E. vivipara var. arizonica.
 
Escobaria vivipara var. rosea
 
Escobaria vivipara var. neomexicana
 
Escobaria vivipara var. bisbeeana
 
 
2.     The Western Group of Escobaria
   
Escobaria alversonii
 
Escobaria deserti
 
Escobaria buoflama
Notes:      The taxon has got similar features as E. alversonii and E. deserti.
 
 
3.     Escobaria missouriensis Group
   
Escobaria missouriensis
 
Escobaria missouriensis f. marstonii
 
Escobaria missouriensis f. robustior
 
Escobaria missouriensis f. navajoensis
 
 
4.     Escobarias at the Tularosa Basin
   
Escobaria organensis
 
Escobaria organensis var. sandbergii
Synonym:      Escobaria sandbergii
Notes:      Identical appearance as E. organensis, only juvenille plants are different - lighter, almost white spines. Affinity and resemblance with E. albicolumnaria has not yet been studied.
 
Escobaria villardii
 
 
5.     Escobaria orcuttii Group
   
Escobaria orcuttii
 
Escobaria orcuttii f. koenigii
Synonym:      Escobaria orcuttii var. koenigii
Notes:      Based on the evolution of all the three taxa (orcuttii, koenigii, macraxina) within the collection it is only the E. orcuttii form.
 
Escobaria orcuttii f. macraxina
Synonym:      Escobaria orcuttii var. macraxina
Notes:      Based on the evolution of all the three taxa (orcuttii, koenigii, macraxina) within the collection it is only the E. orcuttii form.
 
 
6.     Escobaria dasyacantha Group
   
Escobaria dasyacantha
 
Escobaria dasyacantha f. chaffeyi
Synonym:      Escobaria chaffeyi
Notes:      Minimal differences between E. dasyacantha and E. chaffeyi are probably caused by their appearance in various altitudes and these are wiped when planted in a collection. Flowers and seeds do not show any differences.
 
Escobaria guadalupensis
Notes:      Based on its similar appearance to E. dasyacantha the taxon is regarded as its relative.
 
 
7.     Escobaria duncanii Group
   
Escobaria duncanii
 
Escobaria albicolumnaria
 
 
8.     Escobaria sneedii Group
   
For now this group has not been studied more closely.
 
 
9.     Group of Various Taxa
   
It is a group comprising species which cannot be assigned to any of the mentioned groups.
 
Escobaria strobiliformis
 
Escobaria runyonii
Synonym:      Coryphantha robertii
 
Escobaria minima
 
Escobaria hesteri
 
Escobaria robbinsorum
 
 
10.     Group of uncertain Taxa
   
Escobaria dasyacantha var. varicolor
Notes:      Lz 077 - probably E. strobiliformis
 
Escobaria borealis
Notes:      Based on a careful observation the Lz 150 from Nutria Lake, NM is assigned by the author to E. vivipara var. arizonica.
 
Escobaria fragrans
Notes:      Fragant flowers being the only difference from E. vivipara var. vivipara f. radiosa cannot be considered as a sufficient reason to the assignment of the variety status. It is the reason why the taxon is being assigned to E. vivipara var. vivipara f. radiosa.
 
Escobaria bella
Notes:      A plant described by Britton and Rose has not been discovered anymore since 1914. Mentioned type locality, located close to the collection Lz 700 (Del Rio, Tx.), suggests that it could be E. runyonii. Nevertheless, also some of the Coryphantha genus, cornifera group could be considered.
 


 


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Last modified February 25, 2011



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