Sclerocactus parviflorus |
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devil's-claw cactus, small flower fishhook cactus |
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Stems | unbranched or branched near base, depressed-spheric, spheric, cylindric, or elongate-cylindric, 4.5–45 × 3.5–14.5 cm; ribs (10–)13(–16), tubercles evident on ribs. |
Spines | frequently obscuring stems; radial spines 8–17 per areole, usually white, sometimes brown or purplish pink, 6–36 mm; central spines (3–)4–6(–8) per areole, 1–5 hooked; abaxial central spine usually purple black, hooked, 15–72 × 0.6–1 mm; lateral spines 2–6 per areole, similar to abaxial, usually shorter, usually not hooked; adaxial central spine usually white (rarely gray, straw colored, pink, or reddish brown), flat to angled or terete; straight (rarely contorted), 17–82(–90) × 0.7–1.5(–3) mm. |
Flowers | funnelform to campanulate, (2–)3–5.7(–7) × 2.5–5.5(–8) cm; outer tepals with greenish or brownish purple midstripes and rose to purple, pink, yellow, or white margins, oblanceolate, 25–50 × 6–10 mm, mucronate, margins entire; inner tepals rose to purple, pink, or yellow (rarely white), oblanceolate, 15–55 × 6–12 mm, margins entire to fringed, apex mucronate; filaments purple, yellow, or green; anthers yellow; ovary papillate, appearing granular. |
Fruits | irregularly dehiscent, green turning reddish pink, 10–30 × 10–15 mm; scales few, membranous fringed. |
Seeds | dark brown to black, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–3 mm; testa with rounded papillae. |
Sclerocactus parviflorus |
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Phenology | Flowering late Apr–May. |
Habitat | Sandy, gravelly, or clay hills, mesas, and washes, desert grasslands or saltbush, sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and blackbrush communities, pinyon-juniper woodlands |
Elevation | 1000-2100 m (3300-6900 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CO; NM; UT
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Discussion | Sclerocactus parviflorus has an extensive range and great morphologic variation. Many named segregates have been proposed (L. D. Benson 1982; K. D. Heil and J. M. Porter 1994; F. Hochstätter 1995b) and some of these clearly merit recognition at the subspecific or varietal level. However, we are not attempting to subdivide this very complex group. Considerable work remains in understanding morphologic diversification within this species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 4, p. 202. |
Parent taxa | Cactaceae > subfam. Cactoideae > Sclerocactus |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | Echinocactus parviflorus, Echinocact parviflorus var. havasupaiensis, Echinocact parviflorus var. roseus, Ferocactus parviflorus, Pediocactus parviflorus, S. contortus, S. havasupaiensis var. roseus, S. intermedius, S. parviflorus subsp. havasupaiensis, S. parviflorus var. intermedius, S. parviflorus subsp. terrae-canyonae, S. terrae-canyonae, S. whipplei var. intermedius, S. whipplei var. roseus |
Name authority | Clover & Jotter: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 68: 419, fig. 8. (1941) |
Web links |