Beschorneria yuccoides? Edit: Hechtia

[seco]

At the southernmost extreme of the Chihuahuan Desert, Meridional Subregion, in upland central Mexico, Querétaro state, the Beshorneria pictured below currently is about to flower. Its features differ from those seen in pictures of garden and escaped plants. This plant was in extremely dry, thin soil on a ridgetop with a greywacke sandstone bedrock. Its stems and bracts were not reddish. It grew only in dense, spiny brush in an isolated area ravaged by feral burros. Of the 8 Beshorneria species usually recognized, two or three of the species appear to be vaguely defined and hardly ever encountered in the wild. In this area, the two Beschorneria species most often reported are B. yuccoides and B. rigida. The latter seems to have more slender blades, smaller rachis bracts and fewer flowers per rachis bract. In the photographs, the white fuzz on the dried bracts appears to be fungus, which makes little sense because it's not rained here for months. I look forward to comments.

[Minime8484]

This appears to be a species of Hecthia, not Beschorneria.

[Paul S]

This appears to be a species of Hecthia, not Beschorneria.

Exactly so.

[seco]

Thanks so much for suggesting Hechtia. The leaves seemed to be without spines on the margins but my eyes are so old I can't see things until I get them on the computer laptop. Using the Flora del Bajío, if we accept that the bracts are 9-22mm wide, and the blades 8-10cm wide, which seems to be the case here, it's HECHTIA ZAMUDIOI, as far as I can determine endemic just to Querétaro state in Mexico, where the species was seen. It was described only in 2008, in "Dos Nuevas especies de Hechtia (Bromeiaceae; Pitcarnioideae) del Centro de México," which can be downloaded via ResearchGate.net.

The few images I can find of the species have blades with conspicuous and numerous spines, but the species is poorly known and maybe there are forms with only a few or no spines, or maybe I'm blinder than I think.

Whatever the case, your Hechtia suggestion is much appreciated, and thank you both.

[Gee.S]

Thread title edited and thread moved.

[Meangreen94z]

Zamudioi seems to be the best fit. Glomerata and podantha also are identified in that region.