Origin and Habitat: México, probably Queretaro or Hidalgo.

• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele subs. krainzianus (G.Frank) Glass
• Neolloydia krainziana (G.Frank) A.T.Powell
• Pediocactus pseudomacrochele var. krainzianus (G.Frank) Halda
• Strombocactus pseudomacrochele var. krainzianus (G.Frank) G.D.Rowley
• Toumeya krainziana G.Frank
• Toumeya pseudomacrochele var. krainziana (G.Frank) Kladiwa in Krainz
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus (G.Frank) Backeb.
• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele var. krainzianus (G.Frank) Glass & R.A.Foster

• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele (Backeb.) Buxb. & Backeb.
• Kadenicarpus pseudomacrochele (Backeb.) Doweld
• Neolloydia pseudomacrochele (Backeb.) E.F.Anderson
• Pediocactus pseudomacrochele (Backeb.) Halda
• Strombocactus pseudomacrochele Backeb.
• Toumeya pseudomacrochele (Backeb.) W.T.Marshall

• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele subs. krainzianus (G.Frank) Glass
• Neolloydia krainziana (G.Frank) A.T.Powell
• Pediocactus pseudomacrochele var. krainzianus (G.Frank) Halda
• Strombocactus pseudomacrochele var. krainzianus (G.Frank) G.D.Rowley
• Toumeya krainziana G.Frank
• Toumeya pseudomacrochele var. krainziana (G.Frank) Kladiwa in Krainz
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus (G.Frank) Backeb.
• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele var. krainzianus (G.Frank) Glass & R.A.Foster

• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele var. krainzianus f. cristatus
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus f. cristatus

• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele subs. lausseri (Diers & G.Frank) Glass
• Kadenicarpus pseudomacrochele subs. lausseri (Diers & G.Frank) Doweld
• Kadenicarpus pseudomacrochele var. lausseri (Diers & G.Frank) Doweld
• Pediocactus pseudomacrochele var. lausseri (Diers & G.Frank) Halda
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus f. lausseri (Diers & G.Frank) D.Donati
• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele var. lausseri Diers & G.Frank
• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele f. lausseri (Diers & G.Frank) Panar.

• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele subs. minimus (G.Frank) Lüthy & A.Hofer
• Neolloydia krainziana var. minima (G.Frank) A.T.Powell
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus subs. minimus (G.Frank) Lüthy & A.Hofer
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus var. minimus (G.Frank) Diers
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus f. minimus G.Frank
• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele subs. krainzianus f. minimus (G.Frank) Glass
• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele f. minimus (G.Frank) M.Zachar, Stanik, Lux & Dráb

• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele subs. minimus f. cristatus hort.
• Neolloydia krainziana var. minima f. cristata hort.
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus subs. minimus f. cristatus hort.

• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele var. sphacellatus Diers & G.Frank
• Kadenicarpus pseudomacrochele var. sphacellatus (Diers & G.Frank) Doweld
• Pediocactus pseudomacrochele var. sphacellatus (Diers & G.Frank) Halda
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus f. sphacelatus (Diers & G.Frank) hort.
• Turbinicarpus sphacelatus (Diers & G.Frank) hort.
• Turbinicarpus cirrhiferus

• Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele subs. krainzianus cv. Lilliput
• Turbinicarpus krainzianus cv. Lilliput

Description: Turbinicarpus pseudomacrocheleSN|12802]]SN|12802]] ssp. krainzianus is a small geophytic cactus with twisty relatively safe spines. It is at first solitary, but almost
always branches from the base in age. It has creamy-white or greenish-yellow flowers with yellow centres.
Stem: Elongated up to 4 cm high, 8-12(-30) mm in diameter, dark green. This taxa seems to be fairly variable in body diameter and in most cases it has a thin transitional continuation to the thick tuberous root, up to 3-4 cm tall, 5-8 mm wide. Cultivated specimens also generally have a larger diameter than that shown in the description. Apex white wooled almost concealed by the spines.
Ribs: About 11 spirally arranged.
Tubercles: Rhomboidal at the base, tapering at the top, to 4 mm tall.
Areole: On the apex of the tubercle, white woolly becoming bare with age.
Root: Deep napiform.
Spines: Curved wiry 12-30 mm long, the uppermost the longest, flexible, not piercing, in new growth yellowish-brown later becoming grey with dark tips, dropping off from older areoles.
Flowers: Diurnal, apical up to 2 cm long, with about 12-16 narrow yellow cream or greenish yellow tepals, but other flower colour varieties exist. Ovaries green. Styles white, with 4 white stigma lobes. Anthers lying below the stigma, yellow.
Blooming season: Summer.
Fruit: Spherical to oval, mostly from the top, 3-5 mm long, bare with remnants of dried flower. Green turning red at maturity, with persistent dried up flowers remains. They open split vertically when ripe and contains 20-25 seeds.
Seeds: Black, egg to pear-shaped, 1 mm long with very small tubercles.
Remarks: this species is one of those turbinicarpus which pass a purely radial-spined youth stage in which they are already floriferous. Most of the plants after several years develop the long curled central spines, giving the plant its fuzzy appearance.

Notes: Turbinicarpus pseudomacrocheleSN|12802]]SN|12802]] ssp. krainzianus has a very peculiar and most unusual floral scents: the "Mouldiest Scent on Earth". Similar mouldy, musty-earthy odours are found in a series of diurnal cacti species. The compound responsible for this particular odor is a natural products called dehydrogeosmin, in a few cases occurring together with geosmin compounds.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
2) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey "The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass" Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
3) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
4) Milan Zachar, Roman Staník, Alexander Lux, Igor Dráb "Rod Turbinicarpus (Gattung Turbinicarpus)" Vydavateľstvo Roman Staník, 1996
5) Jackie M. Poole, William R. Carr, Dana M. Price, Jason R. Singhurst “Rare plants of Texas: a field guide” Texas A&M University Press, 30/Dec/2007
6) Philip Kraft, Karl A. D. Swift "Perspectives in Flavor and Fragrance Research" John Wiley & Sons, 30/May/2005

Cultivation and Propagation: It is a summer-growing species fairly easy and robust to cultivate, but very slow growing. This plant is xerophytic, adapted to dry soils and is quite susceptible to over-watering if kept in a non ventilated place.
Growth rate: Slow-growing.
Soil: Grow it in an open mineral, sandy-gritty cactus compost and provide a very good drainage.
Exposure: It is suited for sunny-brightly exposure, but can tolerate light shade. However it will do its best only with lots of sun and become stressed with inadequate light which could result in poor growth and unnatural shape. Direct sun is also beneficial in order to get a good spine growth. It has a good heat tolerance.
Watering: Waterings should be rather infrequent to keep the plant compact, and avoid its becoming excessively elongated and unnatural in appearance. Furthermore it has a tap root, and watering it properly is often difficult, because it tends to crack open or rot if over-watered. Keep dry in winter or when night temperatures remain below 10° C. Mature individuals easily rot and die especially after transplanting so be extremely cautious with watering, keep rootneck dry. Water it less than average if in bigger pots.
Fertilization: Feed them once during the growing season with a fertilizer specifically formulated for cactus and succulents (high potash fertilizer with a dilute low nitrogen), including all micro nutrients and trace elements diluted to ½ the strength recommended on the label. They thrive in poor soils and need a limited supplies of fertilizer to avoid the plants developing excess vegetation, which is easily attacked by fungal diseases.
Special need: It is suited for airy exposures. Provide very good ventilation. Nearly all problems occur as a result of overwatering and poor ventilation, especially when weather conditions are dull and cool or very humid. They must have very dry atmosphere.
Hardiness: It likes warmth (recommended minimum winter temperature 5° C) But plants kept perfectly dry can easily survive a light frost.
Pests & diseases: These cacti may be attractive to a variety of insects, but plants in good condition should be nearly pest-free, particularly if they are grown in a mineral potting-mix, with good exposure and ventilation. Nonetheless, there are several pests to watch for:
- Red spiders: Red spiders may be effectively rubbed up by misting the plants from above.
- Mealy bugs: Mealy bugs occasionally develop aerial into the new leaves and flowers with disfiguring results, but the worst types develop underground on the roots and are invisible except by their effects.
- Rot: Rot is only a minor problem if the plants are watered and “aired” correctly. If they are not, fungicides won't help all that much.
Reproduction: From seed, since the plant rarely produces plantlets, or grafted. The seeds can be sown in pots of fine, well-drained sandy soil, any time during the spring when temperatures are warm. Cover the seeds with a fine layer of grit and water from below with a fungicide to prevent damping off. For the 1-2 weeks cover the pots with a sheet of glass/clear perspex to keep the humidity levels high. Remove the glass and replace it with light shade-cloth and mist once or twice a day for the next two weeks after which most seeds should have germinated. From then on mistings can be reduced to every second and then every third day as the little plants grow. The seedlings should not be disturbed until they are well rooted after which they can be planted separately in small pots. Sometimes it is grafted to avoid root rot problems as plants grafted on an hardy stock are easy to grow and no special skill is required.