Mam. spec. aff. melanocentra (Lau 1539)

Hello all,
Sowed also before some years. The type of M. melanocentra knows everyone, can this plant also be one?

Lau thought that his 1539 was a heyderi sp. This could well be, although I could follow your thoughts about melanocentra also. Apart from the flower colour and the somewhat curved central spine... I know that both species grow in Nuevo Leon and that you can't exclude a natural hybrid between these two.

I have this in Lau's list as sp. heyderi Group from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 1000m. From the photo I count 6 radial spines, 1 central, white flowers. M. melanocentra has pink flowers, 7-9 radial spines, 1 central. M. linaresensis has 4-6 radials but 2 central spines, white flowers. M. heyderi has 15-22 radial spines, 1 central, white flowers. M. gummifera and M. meiacantha are closer in term sof radial spines, but have striped flowers.

M. melanocentra and M. heyderi are in the same group in Hunt's classification. Luthy has melanocentra in hi magnimamma group, with heyderi in its own group. Reppenhagen list sthem as numbers 237-9 for heyderi and if forms, and 249 for melanocentra.

So even the experts are not unanimous in just how closely related these plants are.

I think it is more likely to be just a form of heyderi.

Thanks Hugo and Chris,
ok, maybe really a hybrid between melanocentra and heyderi. Spination is near the melanocentra, flower probably more of the heyderi. Actually the seed would have to be similar of the heyderi. And M. heyderi has a quite characteristic seed. At that, I must look myself under the magnifying glass exactly therefore once.
Many thanks
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Holger