Echinocereus enneacanthus |
Echinocereus reichenbachii |
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alicoche, Mexican strawberry pitaya, pitaya, smallspine pitaya, strawberry cactus |
hedgehog cactus, lace cactus, lace hedgehog cactus |
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Habit | Plants branched forming dense or lax clumps with 20–100(–500) branches, usually branching before flowering. | Plants unbranched or sometimes 12-branched. | ||||
Stems | some-what lax often sprawling, longest stems sometimes prostrate, cylindric, 8–40(–100?) × 3.2–15 cm; ribs (6–)7–10(–12), crests essentially uninterrupted; areoles (11–)14–52 mm apart. |
erect, cylindric or short cylindric, 7.5–30(–40) × (2.5–)4–10 cm; ribs 10–19, slightly undulate; areoles 1–6(–10) mm apart. |
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Spines | 6–14 per areole, straight or central spines slightly curved throughout their lengths, ± opaque, white, pale tan, or purplish gray, often extensively tipped or banded with brown; radial spines 5–10(–13) per areole, 9.5–40(–47) mm, usually less than 1/2 as long as central spines; central spines 1–4(–5) per areole, all or mostly projecting, abaxial spine porrect or descending, frequently compressed or angular in cross section (sometimes sulcate, keeled, or striate), (12–)20–84(–96) mm. |
15–36 per areole, white to tan, dull pink, dark brown, or purplish black, central spines and spine tips often darker; radial spines 12–36 per areole, straight to slightly curved, appressed, pectinately arranged or nearly so, 2–8(–25) mm; central spines 0–7 per areole, terete, 1–6(–15) mm. |
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Flowers | (4.5–)5–7.5 × 5–5.6(–9) cm; flower tube 10–30 × 10–22(–40) mm; flower tube hairs 1–2 mm; inner tepals pink or magenta, darkest proximally, 28–55 × 8–14(–20) mm, tips relatively thin and delicate; anthers yellow; nectar chamber 4–6 mm. |
4.5–8(–12) × 5–10(–12) cm; flower tube 22–40 × 10–30 mm; flower tube hairs 5–15 mm; inner tepals silvery pink to magenta, usually white, crimson, green, or multicolored proximally, 23–40 × 5–15 mm, tips relatively thin, delicate; anthers yellow; nectar chamber 2–5 mm. |
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Fruits | pale yellow-green or dull reddish, 20–30 mm, pulp white or pale pink. |
green, olive green, or dark green, 15–28 mm, pulp white. |
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2n | = 22. |
= 22. |
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Echinocereus enneacanthus |
Echinocereus reichenbachii |
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Phenology | Flowering early May-late Jun; fruiting 1 1/2-2 1/2 months after flowering. | |||||
Habitat | Chihuahuan Desert, desert scrub, grasslands, oak-juniper woodlands | |||||
Elevation | 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
TX; Mexico
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CO; KS; NM; OK; TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). The commonly recognized concept of Echinocereus enneacanthus var. enneacanthus (W. O. Moore 1967; D. Weniger 1970; L. D. Benson 1982) pertained to the small eastern var. brevispinus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. The entire Echinocereus reichenbachii species group (E. reichenbachii, E. chisosensis, E. rigidissimus, E. pseudopectinatus, and an indefinite number of Mexican species) has unusually thin, bristlelike spines clothing the flowers and fruits as well as conspicuous, cobwebby tomentum of unusually long areolar hairs. The persistent, dry, white features of the flower tube are an essential distinction contrasting with the otherwise similar E. pectinatus species group (E. pectinatus, E. dasyacanthus, and possibly E. bonkerae), regardless of the spectacular, colorful floral displays. The taxonomic and geographic boundaries among the segregate species or numerous proposed infraspecific taxa of Echinocereus reichenbachii remain nebulous and controversial. In no place do pure populations exist sympatrically, and all taxa appear completely interfertile. Typical E. reichenbachii is endemic to Mexico, near Saltillo, Coahuila. The common plants of E. reichenbachii in Texas, usually lacking central spines, are weakly distinguished from typical E. reichenbachii and are the basis for E. reichenbachii subsp. caespitosus. Oklahoma populations with unusually long bristlelike spines were named E. baileyi Rose [E. reichenbachii subsp. baileyi]. They intergrade, however, with the nearby, short-spined populations of E. reichenbachii. Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albispinus pertains to intermediates between E. baileyi and E. reichenbachii subsp. caespitosus. The flowers of E. reichenbachii var. fitchii are among the largest in the species, and their exact color pattern may prove taxonomically significant. Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albertii is somewhat morphologically and geographically intermediate between var. caespitosus and var. fitchii, but with flowers more closely resembling var. fitchii; it is sometimes considered a synonym of var. fitchii or a variety of E. fitchii Britton & Rose. The name “Echinocereus melanocentrus” appears frequently in cactus literature but has not been validly published. Echinocereus reichenbachii is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s Collection of Endangered Plants. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 4, p. 162. | FNA vol. 4. | ||||
Parent taxa | Cactaceae > subfam. Cactoideae > Echinocereus | Cactaceae > subfam. Cactoideae > Echinocereus | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | Echinocactus reichenbachii, Echinocactus reichenbachii var. albispinus, Echinocactus reichenbachii subsp. baileyi, Echinocactus reichenbachii subsp. caespitosus, Echinocactus reichenbachii subsp. fitchii | |||||
Name authority | Engelmann: in F. A. Wislizenus, Mem. Tour N. Mexico, 111. (1848) | (Walpers) Haage ex Britton & Rose: Cactaceae 3: 25. (1922) | ||||
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