CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Science & Nature

Pediocactus knowltonii

species of plant

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionOct 4, 2025
Entity authorityQ150706 ↗
Source-derived summary

Pediocactus knowltonii is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Knowlton's miniature cactus, Knowlton's pincushion cactus, and Knowlton's minute cactus.

Description

A tiny cactus, it may reach a maximum size of 55 millimeters tall by 30 mm wide. It is often smaller, growing to the size of a US penny. An individual is considered to be an adult when it exceeds 10 mm in diameter. It is spherical or somewhat cylindrical in shape. The areoles are round and covered in hairs. Each areole has up to 26 radial spines which are red, pink, or white in color. The spines are less than 2 mm long. The plant produces a flower up to 35 mm long by 25 mm wide with pinkish tepals, the outer ones sporting brownish midstripes. The fruit is green, ripening reddish, and measures about 4 mm long.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Pediocactus knowltonii” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Pediocactus, knowltonii and species.

Editorial reviewUseful for establishing the present vocabulary of the subject while preserving a route back to the evidence on which that vocabulary rests. The current 143-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Pediocactus, knowltonii and species providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Pediocactus knowltonii”, the useful work is to connect “species of plant” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 4, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q150706. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Pediocactus knowltonii”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Pediocactus knowltonii primary sources, Pediocactus knowltonii archive and Pediocactus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Pediocactus knowltonii”?
  2. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Pediocactus knowltonii” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.