Melocactus
Link & Otto, nom. cons. (1827)
Etymology
| 🌵 Author(s) | Christoph Friedrich OttoJohann Heinrich Friedrich Link |
| 🌵 Type | Melocactus communis |
Greek melon ‘melon’ + Greek kaktos, a prickly plant found in Sicily, possibly the cardoon or artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus). For the spiny, round plant body, but primarily an abbreviation of the pre-Linnaean name Echinomelocactus (‘hedgehog melon-thistle’). Link and Otto split this genus, whose name was abbreviated to Cactus by Linnaeus, into Echinocactus and Melocactus.
van der Meer, Maarten H.J. (2022, February 5). Melocactus. Dictionary of Cactus Names. Retrieved from https://www.cactusnames.org/melocactus