Hechtia aquamarina I.Ramírez & C.Jiménez
Literature references:
Comments:
- Distribution:—Hechtia pueblensis occurs in the southeastern portion of Puebla (Fig. 3), close to the limits of the State of Oaxaca, in the area of the Tehuacan- Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, in xerophytic shrubland at elevations above 900 m. The Tehuacan Valley is located in the Sierra Madre del Sur, and it is characterized by mountains that surround the valley in the Rio Papaloapan drainage. It is an area with a warm or warm semi-tropical, dry clime, with moderate rains during the summer. It is located between 17° 39'–18° 53' N and 96° 55'–97° 44' W covering an area of 490.187 ha with elevations ranging from 600 to 2950 m. Median annual temperature varies from 18° to 22°C, depending on the elevation (INEGI, 1981). The importance of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve lies in the great diversity of its flora. Rzedowski (1973, 1978) defined the area as a Floristic Province, belonging to the Mexican Xerophytic Phytogeographic Region. Smith (1965) suggested that at least one third of the plant species occurring at the Reserve are endemic. At several of its localities, Hechtia pueblensis is sympatric with an additional Hechtia species (Hechtia sp. (Ivón Ramírez et al. 1581, CICY)) near Calipán, a species probably belonging to another group in the genus due to its inflorescences originating from the center of a mature rosette and a growth habit featuring long, thick axillary stolons. This species is also characterized by the pale green-yellowish color of its entire vegetative body. —See Ramirez & Jimenez 2012a
