Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Echinocactus horizonthalonius

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Kingdom
  
Family
  
Cactaceae

Tribe
  
Cacteae

Higher classification
  
Subfamily
  
Cactaceae

Genus
  
Echinocactus

Rank
  
Species

Echinocactus horizonthalonius Echinocactus horizonthalonius

Scientific name
  
Echinocactus horizonthalonius

Similar
  
Echinocactus, Cactus, Epithelantha, Echinocactus polycephalus, Escobaria

Echinocactus horizonthalonius cactus devils head


Echinocactus horizonthalonius is a species of cactus known by several common names, including devilshead, turk's head cactus, blue barrel cactus, eagle's claw, horse maimer, horse crippler, and visnaga meloncillo. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it occurs in Chihuahuan Desert and Sonoran Desert habitats, particularly on limestone substrates.

Contents

Echinocactus horizonthalonius Jak na Echinocactus horizonthalonius

Description

Echinocactus horizonthalonius Jak na Echinocactus horizonthalonius

This cactus is gray-green to blue-gray in color and spherical, hemispherical, columnar, or flat-topped in shape. It reaches a maximum size of about 45 centimeters tall by 20 wide. The body is made up of curving sections that twist around the body in a helical fashion. These sections are lined with areoles bearing up to 10 spines each. The pink, gray, or brown spines may be over 4 centimeters long.

Echinocactus horizonthalonius Echinocactus horizonthalonius

The bright pink to magenta flowers are up to 7 to 9 centimeters wide. Flowers open around midday and close for the night. They also open after the plant receives rainfall, and although most of the flowers occur in June, they may bloom again in late summer and fall if rain occurs.

The fruit is hairy or woolly and pink or red in color.

Varieties

The species is generally divided into two varieties.

Echinocactus horizonthalonius Jak na Echinocactus horizonthalonius

  • The more common, Echinocactus horizonthalonius var. horizonthalonius, can be found in Chihuahuan Desert habitats, from Arizona, through New Mexico, into Texas and Northeastern Mexico. USDA: Echinocactus horizonthalonius var. horizonthalonius'
  • The rare Echinocactus horizonthalonius var. nicholii, Nichol's turk's head cactus, is known only from three Sonoran Desert populations in southeastern Arizona, and one in Sonora, Mexico.

  • Echinocactus horizonthalonius httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

    It is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States. Some populations are protected within Ironwood Forest National Monument in Pinal and Pima Counties in Arizona.

    Echinocactus horizonthalonius SEINet Arizona Chapter Echinocactus horizonthalonius

    References

    Echinocactus horizonthalonius Wikipedia


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