: West of Seabra, Bahia, Brazil

• Melocactus salvador L.Murillo
• Cactus salvador (L.Murillo) Britton & Rose

• Melocactus curvispinus Pfeiff.
• Melocactus crassicostatus Lem.
• Melocactus obtusipetalus var. crassicostatus (Lem.) Lem. ex Miq.
• Melocactus curvispinus subs. obtusipetalus (Lem.) Xhonneux & Fern.Alonso
• Cactus obtusipetalus (Lem.) Britton & Rose
• Melocactus obtusipetalus Lem.
• Melocactus delessertianus Lem.
• Melocactus guatemalensis Gürke & Eichlam
• Melocactus guitartii León
• Melocactus holguinensis Areces
• Melocactus humilis Suringar
• Melocactus jakusii Mészáros
• Melocactus maxonii (Rose) Gürke
• Cactus maxonii Rose
• Melocactus ruestii subs. maxonii (Rose) Elizondo
• Melocactus oaxacensis (Britton & Rose) Backeb.
• Cactus oaxacensis Britton & Rose
• Melocactus ruestii subs. oaxacensis (Britton & Rose) Elizondo
• Melocactus ruestii K.Schum.
• Cactus ruestii (K.Schum.) Britton & Rose
• Melocactus brongnartii Hildm. ex Rüst non Lem.
• Melocactus ruestii subs. centalapensis Elizondo
• Melocactus ruestii subs. cintalapensis Elizondo
• Melocactus ruestii subs. sanctae-rosae (L.D.Gómez) Elizondo
• Melocactus maxonii var. sanctae-rosae L.D.Gómez
• Melocactus salvador L.Murillo
• Cactus salvador (L.Murillo) Britton & Rose

• Melocactus curvispinus subs. caesius (H.L.Wendl.) N.P.Taylor
• Cactus caesius (H.L.Wendl.) Britton & Rose
• Melocactus caesius H.L.Wendl. ex Miq.
• Melocactus curvispinus f. caesius (H.L.Wendl.) N.P.Taylor

• Melocactus curvispinus subs. dawsonii (Bravo) N.P.Taylor
• Melocactus dawsonii Bravo

• Melocactus curvispinus subs. koolwijkianus (Suringar) G.Thomson
• Melocactus koolwijkianus Suringar
• Melocactus koolwijkianus var. adustus Suringar

• Melocactus curvispinus subs. lobelii (Suringar) Fern.Alonso & Xhonneux
• Melocactus curvispinus f. lobelii (Suringar) N.P.Taylor
• Melocactus lobelii Suringar
• Melocactus cephalenoplus Lem.
• Melocactus griseus H.L.Wendl. ex Miq.
• Melocactus caesius var. griseus (H.L.Wendl. ex Miq.) Förster

• Melocactus curvispinus subs. loboguerreroi (Cárdenas) Fern.Alonso & Xhonneux
• Melocactus loboguerreroi Cárdenas

: The most remarkable part of a Melocactus is its cephalium a bristle-coated structure on the summit of the plant, only Melocactus, and the similar genus Discocactus possesses this type of permanent, apical, hatlike appendage. It’s only when a Melocactus reaches maturity that the cephalium begins to grow. Cylindrical, with a diameter distinctly smaller than that of the plant body below, the cephalium will keep growing for the rest of the plant’s life, but the body of the plant stops growing the moment the cephalium starts to form. As the plants age the cephalium doesn’t increase in circumference it will steadily grow taller.