About Epithelantha bokei L.D.Benson
Epithelantha bokei is a cactus species, commonly known by the common names pingpong ball cactus and button-cactus. It is native to Texas in the United States and Coahuila in Mexico. This cactus species is disc-shaped or cylindrical, is usually unbranched, and has a flat top. It typically reaches 2 to 5 centimeters in width. It is so thickly covered in pale-colored spines that the plant appears white or yellowish overall; each areole can hold up to 90 spines, and the longest spines measure roughly 7 millimeters in length. It produces delicate pale pink flowers that grow up to 1.7 centimeters long and wide, and produces a red fruit that measures approximately one centimeter long. Most of the plant grows underground, with only a few centimeters of growth visible above ground. It contracts into the ground during dry periods. This cactus grows on rocky or gravelly limestone substrates. Current threats to the species include poaching and habitat degradation. It is held in cultivation at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. Its specific epithet honors Norman H. Boke, a plant anatomist and researcher who studied the Cactaceae cactus family.
