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Echinocereus boyce-thompsonii

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The Boyce Thompson Hedgehog Cactus is endemic to the Sonoran Desert. It is located between 1,000 to 5,000 feet in elevation. Their spines grow to about 4 inches. The spines are lighter toward the base and grow darker toward the end of the spine. They grow 3 to 10 inches tall and 1.5 to 4 inches wide. They grow in clusters with about 20 total. They like to grown on gravel or rocky environment with good drainage to avoid rotting in full sun because drought tolerant.

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Echinocereus

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Echinocereus is a genus of ribbed, usually small to medium-sized, cylindrical shaped cacti, comprising about 70 species native to the southern United States and Mexico in very sunny, rocky places. Usually the flowers are large and the fruit edible.

The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἐχῖνος (echinos), meaning "hedgehog", and the Latin cereus meaning "candle". They are sometimes known as hedgehog cacti,[2] a term also used for the Pediocactus and Echinopsis.[3]

Description

The species of the genus Echinocereus grow solitary or branching with prostrate to erect shoots that are spherical to cylindrical. The roots are fibrous or bulbous. The plants reach heights of growth between 1 and 60 centimeters. On the tips of the 4 to 26 ribs, which are mostly clear and only rarely resolved into humps, are the areoles, from which differently shaped spines can arise.

The small to large, funnel-shaped flowers arise at the top of an areole or break through the epidermis. They are usually brightly colored and open during the day. Their pericarp and floral tube are studded with thorns, bristles, and sometimes wool. The scar is usually green, but sometimes white in color.

The spherical to ovoid fruits are green to red and mostly thorny. They are mostly juicy and open along a longitudinal slit. The sometimes fragrant fruits contain broadly oval, black, tuberous seeds 0.8 to 2 millimeters long.

Cultivation

Echinocereus spp. are easier to cultivate than many other cacti. They need light soil, a sunny exposure, and a fresh and dry winter to flower. They grow better in soil slightly richer than other cacti. In the wild, several of the species are cold hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as -23°C, but only in dry conditions.

Species

The following species are recognized in the genus Echinocereus by Plants of the World Online:[4]

Formerly placed here

  • Echinopsis candicans (Gillies ex Salm-Dyck) F.A.C.Weber ex D.R.Hunt (as E. candicans (Gillies ex Salm-Dyck) Rümpler)[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Genus: Echinocereus Engelm". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2004-02-13. Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  2. ^ "Echinocereus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  3. ^ "Echinopsis (Hedgehog Cacti)". Cactus and Succulent Society of Australia. Archived from the original on 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  4. ^ "Echinocereus Engelm. - Plants of the World Online". Plants of the World Online. 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  5. ^ "GRIN Species Records of Echinocereus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
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Echinocereus: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Echinocereus is a genus of ribbed, usually small to medium-sized, cylindrical shaped cacti, comprising about 70 species native to the southern United States and Mexico in very sunny, rocky places. Usually the flowers are large and the fruit edible.

The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἐχῖνος (echinos), meaning "hedgehog", and the Latin cereus meaning "candle". They are sometimes known as hedgehog cacti, a term also used for the Pediocactus and Echinopsis.

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