Epithelantha bokei

Epithelantha bokei is a species of cactus known by the common names pingpong ball cactus and button-cactus. It is native to Texas in the United States and Coahuila in Mexico.[1]

Epithelantha bokei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Core eudicots
Order:
Caryophyllales
Family:
Cactaceae
Genus:
Epithelantha
Species:
E. bokei
Binomial name
Epithelantha bokei
L.D.Benson

This cactus is disc-shaped or cylindrical and usually unbranched. It has a flat top. It usually measures 2 to 5 centimeters in width. It is so thickly covered in pale-colored spines that it is white or yellowish in color. There are up to 90 on each areole. The longest are about 7 millimeters in length. The delicate pale pink[2] flowers are up to 1.7 centimeters long and wide.[1] The red fruit is about a centimeter long.[2] Much of the plant is located below ground, with a few centimeters above. It contracts into the ground during dry periods.[2]

This cactus grows on rocky or gravelly limestone substrates. Threats to the species include poaching and habitat degradation. It is in cultivation at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.[2]

The specific epithet honors Norman H. Boke, plant anatomist and student of the Cactaceae.[3]

References
  1. Epithelantha bokei. Flora of North America.
  2. Epithelantha bokei. Center for Plant Conservation.
  3. Powell, A.M., Weedin, J.F. 2005. Cacti of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas. Texas Tech University Press
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