Rapicactus mandragora
species of plant in the subfamily Cactoideae
Rapicactus mandragora, synonym Turbinicarpus mandragora, is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae.
It is endemic to Coahuila state in Mexico. Its natural habitat is hot deserts. It is a Critically Endangered species, threatened by habitat destruction.
Description
Rapicactus mandragora usually grows solitary with grey-green, globular to elongated bodies and has tuberous to rounded thickened roots, which are formed from an often long, neck-like or stalk-shaped base. The bodies reach heights of 3-5 centimeters and diameters of 4-6 centimeters. Their ribs are conical. The 1 to 2 straight, protruding, whitish central spines become darker with age and are 1.8 - 2.2 centiimeters long. The 8 - 14 radiating, straight, white marginal spines are between 8-15 millimeters long.
The flowers are white with a reddish central stripe or yellow.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Rapicactus mandragora” is species of plant in the subfamily Cactoideae. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Rapicactus, mandragora and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of plant in the subfamily Cactoideae” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
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 Mar 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q50868015. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Rapicactus mandragora” 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.