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mountain ball cactus, mountain cactus, Simpon's hedgehog cactus, Simpson's footcactus, Simpson's hedgehog cactus

Habit Plants only occasionally branched.
Stems

depressed-ovoid to ovoid or globose, 2.5–15(–25) × 2.5–15 cm;

areoles circular to oval, villous.

Spines

smooth, relatively hard, distinguishable as radial and central;

radial spines 15–35 per areole, widely spreading, white, slender, 3–13 mm;

central spines 4–11 per areole, reddish brown (rarely black) with basal 1/2 cream or yellow, rigid, straight or slightly curved, 5–21 × 0.3 mm.

Flowers

1.2–3 × 1–2.5 cm;

scales and outer tepals minutely toothed and laciniate or entire and often undulate;

outer tepals with greenish brown midstripes, oblong-cuneate, 9–20 × 3–5(–6) mm;

inner tepals white, pink, magenta, yellow, or yellow-green, 12–25 × 4.5–6(–9) mm.

Fruits

green tinged with red, drying reddish brown, short cylindric, 6–11 × 5–10 mm.

Seeds

gray to black, 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm, papillate but not rugose.

Pediocactus simpsonii

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Pinyon-juniper woodlands, sagebrush, montane, and prairie grasslands, coniferous forests
Elevation 1400-3500 m (4600-11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; SD; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Pediocactus simpsonii is an exceedingly variable species. The segregation of the many forms, varieties, and subspecies on the basis of morphology, however, is difficult to support, given the continuous range of variation in stem size and flower color over its geographic range. The species has the widest distribution of any Pediocactus, and is found at the highest elevation.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 4, p. 214.
Parent taxa Cactaceae > subfam. Cactoideae > Pediocactus
Sibling taxa
P. bradyi, P. despainii, P. knowltonii, P. nigrispinus, P. paradinei, P. peeblesianus, P. sileri, P. winkleri
Synonyms Echinocactus simpsonii, Echinocactus simpsonii var. minor, Echinocactus simpsonii var. robustior, Mammillaria simpsonii, P. simpsonii subsp. bensonii, P. simpsonii var. hermannii, P. simpsonii subsp. idahoensis, P. simpsonii var. indraianus, P. simpsonii subsp. robustior, P. simpsonii var. robustior
Name authority (Engelmann) Britton & Rose: in N. L. Britton and A. Brown, Ill. Fl. N. U.S. ed. 2, 2: 570. (1913)
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