Genus Melocactus Link & Otto

History

After America was discovered in 1492, melocacti were one of the first plants to get to Europe as shown by the first portrayals and descriptions of these exotic plants by i.e. the Dutch doctor and botanist Charles de l´Écluse in his work Exoticorum in 1605 (they were classified as Echinomelocactos) or the even earlier mention by the French doctor and botanist Jacques Daléchamps in 1586 in his work Historia Generalis Plantarum.

Mapa ameriky

Type species: Cactus melocactus L., typ. cons. (= Melocactus caroli-linnaei N.P.Taylor)

The Melocactus genus was established in 1827 by two German gentleman – the biologist Heinrich Friedrich Link and the gardener and botanist Christoph Friedrich Otto. In 1882, the German botanist and geologist Hermann Karsten gave the genus its first plant – Linné’s Cactus melocactus, which was classified as Melocactus melocactus. Cactus melocactus was described in 1753 by the Swedish biologist Carl von Linné (*1707- †1778). As the international botanical nomenclature (paragraph 23.4) clearly states that specific epithets may not exactly repeat the generic name (which would result in tautonyms), during the revision of South American melocacti in 1991, the species was described by Nigel Paul Taylor as Melocactus caroli-linnaei N.P.Taylor. This plant is also widespread in Jamaica.

Melocactus caroli-linnaei Melocactus caroli-linnaei

The distribution of Melocactus

Melocacti grow in warm areas (tropical and subtropical zones) of the American continent. Their distribution can be described by an imaginary line originating in the western part of Mexico, continuing through the Caribbean islands to the southwest of Venezuela and Brazil and back to Mexico through Peru and Ecuador. This genus consists of approximately 40 species based on the systematic classification we use. The plants are of various sizes, from the smallest 10-centimeter Cuban M. matanzanus to the probably largest 50-centimeter M. giganteus or M. intortus. If we count the cephalium, these plants can grow up to a whole meter. Melocacti have also adapted to various altitudes. Some of the species can be found in coastal areas, such as M. acunae, M. harlowii and others enjoying the spray of sea water, other species live in the altitude of 2200 meters above sea level, such as M. andinus.

Matanzanus Melocactus matanzanus

Cephalium

This structure is the characteristic sign of the whole genus. Morphologically, it is similar to the Discocactus genus that also has a decorative central cephalium. Other thermophilic genera are adorned by a pseudocephalium, such as Buiningia, Coleocephalocereus, Austrocephalocereus, Micranthocereus and so on. Lateral cephalium is formed if the plant produces a mass of wool and bristles that are outgrown at the start of a new season, so the plant continues to grow with a new offset. A typical example is the Brazilian genus of Arrojadoa.
The forming of cephalium means the plant has matured. The body is fully grown and during the next stage of its adult life, the plant focuses on the growth of cephalium as well as blooming and fruit production. The cephalium protects flowers and fruits from premature picking by birds and other animals.
The blossoms are quite small and their colour only reaches the near red spectrum. The largest blossom is produced by the Cuban M. evae (3-centimeter wide). The club shaped fruit is either white, light pink, pink, red or purple.

Cefalium Melocactus azureus
Cefalium Genus Arrojadoa

Melocactus Classification

Source: cl-cactus.com

  • Melocactus acunae  Leon 1934
  • Melocactus acunae subsp. lagunaensis  Meszaros 1977
  • Melocactus alex-bragai  P.J.Braun & E.Esteves 2008
  • Melocactus andinus  R.Gruber ex N.P.Taylor 1991
  • Melocactus andinus subsp. hernandezii  (Fernandez & Xhonneux) N.P.Taylor 2003
    • Melocactus hernandezii
  • Melocactus azureus  Buining & Brederoo 1971
  • Melocactus bahiensis  (Britton & Rose) Luetzelberg 1923
    • Melocactus acispinosus
    • Melocactus ammotrophus
    • Melocactus glauxianus
    • Melocactus lensselinkianus
    • Melocactus oreas subsp. bahiensis
  • Melocactus bahiensis subsp. amethystinus  (Buining & Brederoo) N.P.Taylor 1991
    • Melocactus amethystinus
    • Melocactus griseoloviridis
  • Melocactus bellavistensis  Rauh & Backeberg 1957
  • Melocactus bellavistensis subsp. onychacanthus  (F.Ritter) N.P.Taylor 1991
    • Melocactus onychacanthus
  • Melocactus borhidii  Meszaros 1977
  • Melocactus braunii  E.Esteves 2003
  • Melocactus brederooianus  Buining 1972
    • Melocactus inconcinnus var. brederooianus
  • Melocactus broadwayi  (Britton & Rose) A.Berger 1926
  • Melocactus caroli-linnaei  N.P.Taylor 1991
  • Melocactus concinnus  Buining & Brederoo 1972
    • Melocactus axiniphorus
    • Melocactus margaritaceus var. disciformis
    • Melocactus pruinosus
    • Melocactus pruinosus var. concinnus
    • Melocactus robustispinus
    • Melocactus seabraensis
    • Melocactus zehntneri subsp. robustispinus
  • Melocactus conoideus  Buining & Brederoo 1973
    • Melocactus disciformis
  • Melocactus curvispinus  Pfeiffer 1837
    • Melocactus melocactus ruestii subsp. maxonii
    • Melocactus amoenus ?
    • Melocactus crassicostatus
    • Melocactus delessertianus
    • Melocactus griseus
    • Melocactus guatemalensis
    • Melocactus guitartii
    • Melocactus humilis
    • Melocactus lobelii
    • Melocactus loboguerreroi
    • Melocactus maxonii
    • Melocactus maxonii subsp. sanctae-rosae
    • Melocactus oaxacensis
    • Melocactus obtusipetalus
    • Melocactus ruestii
    • Melocactus ruestii subsp. cintalapensis
    • Melocactus ruestii subsp. oaxacensis
    • Melocactus ruestii subsp. sanctae-rosae
  • Melocactus curvispinus subsp. caesius  (H.Wendl.) N.P.Taylor 1991
    • Melocactus caesius
  • Melocactus curvispinus subsp. dawsonii  (Bravo) N.P.Taylor 1991
    • Melocactus dawsonii
  • Melocactus curvispinus subsp. koolwijkianus  (Suringar) Thomson 2002
  • Melocactus curvispinus subsp. saravianus  Fernández Alonso & Xhonneux 2002
  • Melocactus deinacanthus  Buining & Brederoo 1973
    • Melocactus deinacanthus subsp. florschuetzianus
    • Melocactus deinacanthus subsp. mulequensis
  • Melocactus ernestii  Vaupel 1920
    • Melocactus azulensis
    • Melocactus ernestii var. multiceps
    • Melocactus erythracanthus
    • Melocactus interpositus
    • Melocactus longispinus
    • Melocactus mulequensis
    • Melocactus multiceps
    • Melocactus nitidus
    • Melocactus oreas subsp. ernestii
  • Melocactus ernestii subsp. longicarpus  (Buining & Brederoo) N.T.Taylor 1991
    • Melocactus deinacanthus subsp. longicarpus
    • Melocactus florschuetzianus
    • Melocactus longicarpus
    • Melocactus montanus
    • Melocactus neomontanus
  • Melocactus estevesii  P.J.Braun 1989
  • Melocactus evae  Meszaros 1977
  • Melocactus ferreophilus  Buining & Brederoo 1973
    • Melocactus azureus subsp. ferreophilus
  • Melocactus glaucescens  Buining & Brederoo 1972
  • Melocactus guanensis  Xhonneux & Fernandez 2001
  • Melocactus guaricensis  Croizat 1950
  • Melocactus harlowii  (Britton & Rose) Vaupel 1912
  • Melocactus holguinensis  Areces 1976
    • Melocactus jakusii
  • Melocactus inconcinnus  Buining & Brederoo 1975
  • Melocactus intortus  (Mill.) Urban 1919
    • Melocactus antonii
    • Melocactus atrosanguineus
    • Melocactus communis
    • Melocactus coronatus
    • Melocactus intortus var. antonii
  • Melocactus intortus subsp. domingensis  Areces 1997
    • Melocactus pedernalensis
  • Melocactus krainzianus  Buining & Brederoo 1975
    • Melocactus azureus var. krainzianus
  • Melocactus lanssensianus  P.J.Braun 1986
  • Melocactus lemairei  (Monville ex Lemaire) Miquel ex Lemaire 1840
    • Melocactus hispaniolicus
  • Melocactus levistestatus  Buining & Brederoo 1973
    • Melocactus diersianus
    • Melocactus rubrispinus
    • Melocactus securituberculatus
    • Melocactus uebelmannii
    • Melocactus warasii
  • Melocactus macracanthos  (Salm-Dyck) Link & Otto 1827
    • Melocactus barbarae
    • Melocactus boszingianus
    • Melocactus inclinatus
    • Melocactus laui
    • Melocactus lehmanni
    • Melocactus microcephalus
    • Melocactus pyramidalis
    • Melocactus zuccarinii
  • Melocactus matanzanus  Leon 1934
    • Melocactus actinacanthus
  • Melocactus mazelianus  Riha 1981
  • Melocactus nagyi  Meszaros 1977
  • Melocactus neryi  K.Schumann 1901
    • Melocactus schulzianus
  • Melocactus oreas  Miquel 1840
    • Melocactus oreas fma. erythracanthus
    • Melocactus oreas subsp. rubrisaetosus
    • Melocactus oreas var. longispinus
    • Melocactus oreas var. submunitis
    • Melocactus rubrisaetosus
  • Melocactus oreas subsp. cremnophilus  (Buining & Brederoo) P.J.Braun 1988
    • Melocactus cremnophilus
  • Melocactus pachyacanthus  Buining & Brederoo 1975
  • Melocactus pachyacanthus subsp. viridis  N.T.Taylor 1991
  • Melocactus paucispinus  Heimen & Paul 1983
  • Melocactus perezassoi  Areces 1993
  • Melocactus peruvianus  Vaupel 1913
    • Melocactus amstutziae
    • Melocactus fortalezensis
    • Melocactus huallancaensis
    • Melocactus jansenianus
    • Melocactus peruvianus var. amstutziae
    • Melocactus peruvianus var. canetensis
    • Melocactus peruvianus var. lurinensis
    • Melocactus trujilloensis
    • Melocactus trujilloensis var. schoenii
    • Melocactus unguispinus
  • Melocactus pescaderensis  Xhonneux & Fernandez 2002
  • Melocactus praerupticola  Areces 2000
  • Melocactus radoczii  Meszaros 1977
  • Melocactus roraimensis  P.J.Braun & Esteves 1991
  • Melocactus salvadorensis  Werdermann 1934
    • Melocactus margaritaceus var. salvadorensis
  • Melocactus saxicola  Diers & Esteves 1984
  • Melocactus schatzlii  H.Till & R.Gruber 1982
  • Melocactus schatzlii subsp. chicamochae  Fern. & Xhon. 2002
  • Melocactus sergipensis  N.P.Taylor & Meiado 2014
  • Melocactus smithii  (Alexander) Buining ex G.D.Rowley 1976
  • Melocactus stramineus  Suringar 1886
  • Melocactus violaceus  Pfeiffer 1835
    • Melocactus depressus
    • Melocactus ellemeetii
    • Melocactus melocactoides
    • Melocactus melocactoides var. itaipuassuensis
    • Melocactus melocactoides var. natalensis
    • Melocactus melocactoides var. violaceus
    • Melocactus meonacanthus
    • Melocactus pentacentrus
    • Melocactus violaceus subsp. natalensis
  • Melocactus violaceus subsp. margaritaceus  N.T.Taylor 1991
    • Melocactus margaritaceus
  • Melocactus violaceus subsp. ritteri  N.T.Taylor 1991
  • Melocactus x albicephalus  Buining & Brederoo 1973
  • Melocactus zehntneri  (Britton & Rose) Luetzelberg 1923
    • Melocactus arcuatispinus
    • Melocactus curvicornis
    • Melocactus douradaensis
    • Melocactus giganteus
    • Melocactus helvolilanatus
    • Melocactus macrodiscus
    • Melocactus macrodiscus var. minor
    • Melocactus zehntneri var. ananas
    • Melocactus zehntneri var. curvicornis
    • Melocactus zehntneri var. viridis
  • Melocactus zehntneri subsp. canescens  (F.Ritter) P.J.Brau 1988
    • Melocactus canescens
    • Melocactus canescens var. montealtoi
Melocactus M.evae Melocactus evae