Common Name: Pezuña de Venado

General Information

Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus is a very low-growing, succulent, evergreen plant with a rosette-like shape, growing from a large, fleshy taproot. The short, unbranched stem is around 3 - 7cm in diameter, and is almost level with the ground[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is sought after by cactus enthusiasts as a curiosity,and is often illagally collected from the wild for horticulture[].
Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus has a very wide distribution and has a very large population. However, the distribution is extremely fragmented primarily because the species is an edaphic specialist, but there is also habitat loss and degradation. The subpopulations are very disjunct, but known from at least 35 locations. Many of the locations are threatened by local people who collect the plants for medicinal purposes. The species is also impacted by habitat destruction and habitat degradation through human activities. This cactus will soon be extirpated at some locations. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

Southern N. America - northeastern and eastern Mexico (Coahulia and Nuevo León,southwards to Querétaro)

Habitat

In and around the edges of the Chihuahuan Desert, where it grows on calcareous or gypsum soils mostly on silty flood plains[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Near Threatened
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.10 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus is a plant of arid and semi-arid areas in northeast Mexico. It is known to experience short-lived, light frosts in the wild.
Requires a sunny position in a very well-drained, circumneutral soil[].
A very slow-growing plant[].
The plant never rises above ground level, making it very difficult to see. In addition, silt often blows over it in the dry season, completely hiding it from view[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is used as an anti-inflammatory and as an analgesic[].
Entire plants are soaked in alcohol. The liquid is then used to treat rheumatism and other aches and pains[]

Other Uses

Gum and mucilage obtained from all parts of the plant are used in mending broken pottery and as a glue for fastening various items[].

Propagation

Seed -