anchor on the slopes but, more important, as water storage for the dry periods, capable of significantly retracting into the ground so that the stem is less exposed to the sun; the spines are often changed to adopt a very papery structure, capable of absorbing good quantities of water. Furthermore, the general look is extremely mimetic, thanks to the epidermis colour and the interlacing spines, guaranteeing a certain protection from eventual herbivores. References Edward F. Anderson, The Cactus Family (Timber Press, 2001), pp. 665–673 Grupo San Luis, The Genus Turbinicarpus in San Luis Potosì (Ed. Cactus&Co, 2004) External links "Alkaloids and why Turbinicarpus sp. contain them" (Turbinicarpus Information Exchange) ("Lost Peyotls") Medicinal plants Cactoideae genera