Echinocereus
From M&J Cactus Wiki
| Echinocereus | |
|---|---|
| File:Echinocereus rigidissimus.jpg | |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Family | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily | Cactoideae |
| Tribe | Phyllocacteae |
| SubTribe | Echinocereinae |
| Genus | Echinocereus |
| Species | |
| Notes | Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Includes Wilcoxia, excludes Morangaya. |
Etymology
The name comes from the Greek echinos (hedgehog) and the Latin cereus (candle), referring to the spiny, often cylindrical stems.
Description
Echinocereus consists of low, bushy plants that can be solitary or branched, sometimes forming massive, dense cushions.
- Stems: Globose to cylindrical, ribbed, with fibrous or tuberous roots (especially in former Wilcoxia species).
- Flowers: Diurnal, ranging from small to quite large, and always self-sterile. A key identifying feature is that the floral tube and pericarpel are covered with spines, bristles, and occasionally wool. Colors are vivid: pink, magenta, red-purple, yellow, green-yellow, brown, or rarely white. Most species have **distinctive green stigmas**. Pollination is mostly by bees and hummingbirds, rarely by bats.
- Fruits: Globose to egg-shaped, juicy and spiny. The spines often fall off when the fruit is fully ripe. They are longitudinally dehiscent or indehiscent.
- Seeds: Broadly ovate, tuberculate, and dull black. Dispersal is often carried out by lizards (**saurochory**).
Habitat
Extremely diverse due to its wide range: from sea-level coastal areas (receiving sea spray) to high-altitude mountains at 2700 m. They grow in pine and oak woodlands, prairies, deserts, and on rocky cliffs. They are frequently found on limestone, but also on volcanic tuffs, granite, and sandy soils.
Distribution
- Mexico: Widely distributed across nearly all northern and central states (Aguascalientes, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora, Zacatecas, etc.).
- USA: Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming.
Species and Subspecies
Joël Lodé recognizes 67 species and 46 subspecies:
- Echinocereus acifer
- Echinocereus adustus
- Echinocereus apachensis
- Echinocereus arizonicus
- Echinocereus barthelowanus
- Echinocereus berlandieri
- Echinocereus bonkerae
- Echinocereus brandegeei
- Echinocereus bristolii
- Echinocereus chisosensis
- Echinocereus cinerascens
- Echinocereus coccineus
- Echinocereus dasyacanthus
- Echinocereus engelmannii
- Echinocereus enneacanthus
- Echinocereus fasciculatus
- Echinocereus fendleri
- Echinocereus ferreirianus
- Echinocereus freudenbergeri
- Echinocereus grandis
- Echinocereus klapperi
- Echinocereus knippelianus
- Echinocereus kroenleinii
- Echinocereus laui
- Echinocereus ledingii
- Echinocereus leucanthus
- Echinocereus longisetus
- Echinocereus mapimiensis
- Echinocereus maritimus
- Echinocereus metornii
- Echinocereus mombergerianus
- Echinocereus nicholii
- Echinocereus nivosus
- Echinocereus ortegae
- Echinocereus pacificus
- Echinocereus palmeri
- Echinocereus pamanesiorum
- Echinocereus papillosus
- Echinocereus parkeri
- Echinocereus pectinatus
- Echinocereus pentalophus
- Echinocereus polyacanthus
- Echinocereus poselgeri
- Echinocereus primolanatus
- Echinocereus pseudopectinatus
- Echinocereus pulchellus
- Echinocereus rayonesensis
- Echinocereus reichenbachii
- Echinocereus rigidissimus
- Echinocereus russanthus
- Echinocereus salm-dyckianus
- Echinocereus santaritensis
- Echinocereus scheeri
- Echinocereus schereri
- Echinocereus schmollii
- Echinocereus sciurus
- Echinocereus scopulorum
- Echinocereus spinigemmatus
- Echinocereus stoloniferus
- Echinocereus stramineus
- Echinocereus subinermis
- Echinocereus tamaulipensis
- Echinocereus triglochidiatus
- Echinocereus viereckii
- Echinocereus viridiflorus
- Echinocereus waldeisii
- Echinocereus websterianus
Natural Hybrids
Notes
- Phylogenetic position: While often placed in Pachycereeae, Lodé maintains its position within the tribe Phyllocacteae (subtribe Echinocereinae) based on chromosomal and molecular data.
- Wilcoxia: Biochemical and molecular studies (Arias et al., 2005) confirm that species previously belonging to Wilcoxia (like E. poselgeri) are nested within Echinocereus.
- Morangaya: DNA analysis shows that E. pensilis is distinct and belongs to the genus Morangaya.
