Jepson Herbarium
		University of California, Berkeley

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Indexes to all accepted names and synonyms: | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

Perennial, shrub, tree, generally fleshy.
Stem: cylindric to spheric, or flat; surface smooth, tubercled, or ribbed (grooved); nodal areoles bearing flowers.
Leaf: generally 0 or early- deciduous, flat to ± cylindric.
Spines: areoles generally with central, radial spines, occasionally with glochids.
Flower: generally 1 per areole, bisexual [ unisexual], sessile, radial [ bilateral]; perianth parts generally many [5], scale-like to petal-like; stamens many; ovary inferior [superior], style 1, stigma lobes generally several [many].
Fruit: dry to fleshy or juicy, indehiscent to variously dehiscent, spiny, scaly, or naked; tubercled or smooth.
Seed: generally many, occasionally 0–few.
± 125 genera, ± 1800 species: Am (especially deserts), Africa; many cultivated, some edible. [Parfitt & Gibson 2004 FNANM 4:92–257] Spines smaller, fewer (0) in shade forms; yellow spines blacken in age. Introduced species increasingly escape cultivation. Hybridization common in some genera. Taxa of Escobaria in TJM (1993) moved to Coryphantha. —Scientific Editors: Bruce D. Parfitt, Douglas H. Goldman, Bruce G. Baldwin.
Unabridged references: [Hunt 2006 The New Cactus Lexicon, DH Books, Milborne Port, England]

Key to Cactaceae

Generally erect, not branched, or if branched then forming low ± 50 cm diam clumps with up to 12[200] branches.
Stem: not segmented; 2–15 cm, 2–15 cm diam, spheric, ovoid, or cylindric, soft- fleshy to firm, ribs 0, tubercles conic to cylindric, grooved along distal surface from base ( axil) to spine cluster at tip.
Spines: 3–95 per areole, < 1 mm diam, needle-like, smooth, straight [curved or hooked]; central spines 3–12.
Flower: ± at stem tip, in axil of tubercle; 6–37[100] mm diam; perianth ± yellow-green to rose-pink or ± purple; ovary glabrous, spines 0, scales generally 0–few, fringed [ entire].
Fruit: indehiscent, wide- ellipsoid to narrowly obovoid, spineless.
Seed: 1.3–2.3 mm, reniform, pitted, black or brown.
16 species: w US, Mex. (Greek: crown + flower, referring to top flower position) [Taylor 1986 Cact Succ J Gr Brit 4:36–44]

Stem: 1–few, 7–15 cm, 7–9 cm diam, short- cylindric to ovoid.
Spines: per areole 4–11 centrally, 12–33 radially.
Flower: 2–3 cm diam, inner perianth ascending or recurved only at tips, ± yellow-green to pale cream-yellow or pale orange, darker midstripe generally well defined; stigma lobes erect to ascending, white or ± green.
2n=22. Limestone soils; 1000–2400 m. Desert Mountains (e San Bernardino Co.);

Previous taxon: Coryphantha alversonii
Next taxon: Coryphantha vivipara var. rosea

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occurs	Red area (if present) is the part of the bioregion lying between the upper and lower elevation limits of the taxon; markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may have georeferencing or identification issues.
Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.	Map made in collaboration with Scott Loarie. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. View all CCH records   CCH collections by month Duplicates counted once; synonyms included. Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa. Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.