Mammillaria melanocentra is a small cactus with a glaucous green, usually solitary stem covered with pyramidal tubercles and clusters of …
Browsing: melanocentra
< Back to Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names
Epithet: melanocentra
Meaning: Black-spined; dark-spined
Derivation: A Latinized descriptive compound epithet formed from the combining form melano- (from the Ancient Greek adjective "μέλᾱς (mélās), meaning "black" or "dark") and -centra (from the Ancient Greek noun κέντρον (kéntron), meaning "spur," "spine," or "sharp point").
Pronunciation: mel-an-oh-KEN-tra
While the generic name must be unique, two or more genera often share the same specific epithet. Moreover, the same epithet can be used for subspecies, varieties, and forms within a species. Here is a list of plants that share this epithet.