Rebutia (Aylostera) nogalesensis was first described by Friedrich Ritter in Kakteen und andere Sukkulenten 28(4): p. 78, the journal of the Deutsche Kakteen-Gesellschaft, in 1977. However the plant was first found in 1958 and had been widely cultivated in the intervening time. The description, which came from Ritter’s original 1958 notes, is very brief. An opportunity to expand on this in Ritter’s self-published book “Kakteen in Sudamerika” volume 2, p. 609, in 1980, is given over fairly extensively to a defence of an apparent accusation by John Donald that the description was “blatant nonsense” after 20 years in cultivation. No further descriptive details are given and there is no photograph.

The original description is given here in Latin as published, with my own English translation.

Rebutia nogalesensis Ritter spec. nov.

Solitaria, latior quam alta, radice rapacea; costae dissolutae; areolae oblongae, 1—1,5 mm longae, lana ampla alba instructae. ca. 2 mm inter se remotae; spinae marginales albae, adpressae, ca. 10-12, 3-6 mm longae, centrales usque ad 5, robustiores, rufae, externe directae, 4-6 mm longae.

Flores et semina incognita; habitat Tarvita, Prov. Azurduy, Bolivia.

Sammelnummer FR 768.

English transation

Solitary, wider than high, tap-rooted; areoles oblong, 1 – 1.5mm long, about 2mm apart, with white wool; 10 – 12 marginal spines, white, pressed against body, 3 – 6mm long; up to 5 central spines, stronger, reddish brown, pointed outwards, 4 – 6mm long.

Flowers and seed not known. Habitat Tarvita in Azurduy Province, Bolivia.

Collection number FR 768.

Additional note

John Pilbeam states that flowers are red, with white stigmas (Pilbeam, J. (1997), “The Cactus File Handbook 2: Rebutia“, Nuffield Press, Oxford).