Echinocereus enneacanthus
Echinocereus triglochidiatus
alicoche, Mexican strawberry pitaya, pitaya, smallspine pitaya, strawberry cactus
claret-cup cactus, claretcup, kingcup cactus, Mojave mound cactus
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.
usually erect or nearly so, cylindric (spheric), (2–)5–70 × (3–)5–13 cm;
ribs 5–8 or 8–12, crests slightly undulate (localized populations contain plants with strongly interrupted ribs);
areoles 10–40 mm apart.
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.
(0–)3–11 per areole, straight to curved or contorted, appressed (radial spines) or spreading to projecting outward (some radials and central spines when present), white to yellow, gray, or black;
radial spines (0–)1–10 per areole, (0–)15–90 mm;
central spines 0–1(–4) per areole, angular, (0–)50–120 mm.
(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–)5–10 × 3–7 cm;
flower tube 20–35 mm;
flower tube hairs 1–2 mm;
inner tepals bright orange-red to dark red, proximally paler (bases sometimes yellow or white), (18–)25–40 × (5–)10–15 mm, tips thick and rigid;
anthers usually pink to purple;
nectar chamber 5–11 mm.
pale yellow-green or dull reddish, 20–30 mm, pulp white or pale pink.
green to yellow-green or pink (rarely red), (15–)20–35 mm, pulp white.
= 22.
= 22.
Echinocereus enneacanthus
Echinocereus triglochidiatus
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.)
Echinocereus triglochidiatus is the earliest name for a large group of diploid and polyploid taxa treated as conspecific by L. D. Benson (1969, 1982). The tetraploids are now recognized separately as E. coccineus, including E. polyacanthus Engelmann of Mexico. The diploids in the flora area are here divided into two allopatric species: E. triglochidiatus and E. arizonicus.
Plants in the western portion of the range of Echinocereus triglochidiatus have been called E. triglochidiatus var. mojavensis (Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow) L. D. Benson. That taxon includes curly-spined plants (mainly in California) and straight-spined plants (including most populations in Arizona, Utah, and western Colorado). The latter were mapped by L. D. Benson (1969, 1982) as part of his concept of E. triglochidiatus var. melanacanthus. Plants with the fewest and largest spines, called E. triglochidiatus var. triglochidiatus, occupy the eastern portion of the species’ distribution. The largest spines, whether central or radial, of var. triglochidiatus are sharply angular in cross section and 1–2 mm thick.
Less distinctive plants have been called Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. gonacanthus, a name carelessly applied to miscellaneous plants throughout the range of var. triglochidiatus. A well-known population at White Sands, New Mexico, inhabits saline flats adjacent to pure gypsum dunes. The unusually large, southernmost plants at White Sands, New Mexico, shrink to the same size as northern plants when grown together in a common garden (D. Weniger 1970). The epithet inermis has been applied at various taxonomic ranks to individual plants with spines absent or nearly so in the eastern portion of var. mojavensis (in and around southeastern Utah).
A geographically distant tetraploid, Echinocereus coccineus var. paucispinus, superficially resembles some eastern E. triglochidiatus but may be distinguished by its relatively terete and more consistently straight spines. Small plants of var. triglochidiatus without reproductive structures might be confused with E. fendleri; records of E. triglochidatus from near the Mexican border probably are misidentifications of E. fendleri in vegetative condition.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Stems (5-)8-14(-15) cm diam.; radial spines 5-8(-9) per areole; central spines 56-84(-96) mm | var. enneacant |
1. Stems slender 3.2-4.5(-7.5) cm diam.; radial spines 8-10(-13) per areole; central spines (12-)20-44(-50) mm | var. brevispin |
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