About Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus (Lem.) K.Schum.
Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus (also spelled Ariocarpus koschoubeyanus) most often grows solitary, with most of its body remaining below the soil surface. Its dark olive-green shoots are flattened at the tip, slightly sunken in the center, and reach 3 to 7 cm (1.2 to 2.8 in) in diameter. The warts are arranged in a spiral pattern; they are elongated at the base, broadening into a triangular shape that tapers toward the tip. Warts measure 5 to 13 mm (0.20 to 0.51 in) long and 3 to 10 mm (0.12 to 0.39 in) wide. A woolly furrow runs across the middle of the areoles, and this species produces no thorns. Flowers are most commonly crimson red, with a diameter of 1.5 to 2.5 cm (0.59 to 0.98 in), though at least one known population produces white flowers. Sepals are green or brownish, somewhat fleshy, and often split into two columns. Petals are lanceolate-spatulate, and can be pointed, blunt, or edged. The stamens, style, and stigma are all white. Elongated fruits measure 8 to 18 mm (0.31 to 0.71 in) long. This species is distributed from the Mexican state of Coahuila south to Querétaro, and also occurs in parts of Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. It grows on loamy plains in the Chihuahuan Desert, at elevations between 1000 and 1900 meters. It is threatened by habitat loss. It can be found growing alongside Dasylirion longissimum, Thelocactus bicolor, Mammillaria elongata, Agave stricta, Lophophora williamsii, Ferocactus uncinatus, and Echinocereus schmollii.
