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devil's-claw cactus, small flower fishhook cactus

Great Basin fishhook cactus

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.

unbranched (2–3-branched), light green, depressed hemispheric to ovoid or cylindric, 4–15 × 3–15 cm;

ribs (11–)13–14, tubercles prominent 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.

not obscuring stems;

radial spines (6–)8–11(–16) per areole, spreading, white or with dark tips, 4–35 × 0.3–1 mm;

central spines (0–)4(–6) per areole;

abaxial central spines 1(–3) per areole, tan, brown, reddish, or black, usually hooked, terete to angled, 10–55 mm;

lateral spines usually (0–)2(–4) per areole, white, tan, red or reddish brown, usually hooked, except on some older areoles, 10–30 mm;

adaxial spines 1 per areole, tipped white or dark, flattened, 5–25(–60) × 0.5–1(–2.2) 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.

tubular, funnelform to campanulate, 2–4 × 2–4 cm;

outer tepals with pink to yellowish brown, greenish brown or reddish brown midstripes and cream, yellow, pink, or reddish purple margins, usually oblanceolate, 10–20 × 4–8 mm, margins entire to irregularly toothed;

inner tepals cream with yellow, greenish, reddish purple, lavender or brownish midstripes and lighter margins, oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 15–25 × 4–8 mm, margins entire to minutely toothed apically;

filaments cream, yellow, green, red-violet, or pink;

anthers yellow;

styles minutely and sparsely papillate.

Fruits

irregularly dehiscent, green turning reddish pink, 10–30 × 10–15 mm;

scales few, membranous fringed.

dehiscent along 2–4 vertical slits, green or pink, barrel-shaped, 9–12 × 8–10 mm, dry;

scales few, membranous, scarious-margined.

Seeds

dark brown to black, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–3 mm;

testa with rounded papillae.

black, 2.5–4 × 2–2.9 mm;

testa with rounded papillae.

Sclerocactus parviflorus

Sclerocactus pubispinus

Phenology Flowering late Apr–May. 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 Light colored soils of limestone or dolostone origin, sagebrush and shadscale flats, pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation 1000-2100 m (3300-6900 ft) 1400-2200 m (4600-7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NV; UT
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Sclerocactus pubispinus is very similar to S. spinosior, and the two taxa have historically been confused. In addition to the features noted in the key, S. pubispinus generally has one dark red, robust, hooked central spine and two less stout, hooked central spines that are initially dark red and quickly fade to white, and flowers that are usually yellow to bronze. By contrast, S. spinosior generally has three stout, dark red central spines, the abaxial spine hooked, and flowers that are usually purple to cream. However, in juvenile (pre-reproductive) stages, the species are nearly indistinguishable.

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

Source FNA vol. 4, p. 202. FNA vol. 4, p. 203.
Parent taxa Cactaceae > subfam. Cactoideae > Sclerocactus Cactaceae > subfam. Cactoideae > Sclerocactus
Sibling taxa
S. blainei, S. brevispinus, S. cloverae, S. glaucus, S. mesae-verdae, S. nyensis, S. papyracanthus, S. polyancistrus, S. pubispinus, S. sileri, S. spinosior, S. wetlandicus, S. whipplei, S. wrightiae
S. blainei, S. brevispinus, S. cloverae, S. glaucus, S. mesae-verdae, S. nyensis, S. papyracanthus, S. parviflorus, S. polyancistrus, S. sileri, S. spinosior, S. wetlandicus, S. whipplei, S. wrightiae
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 Echinocactus pubispinus, Ferocactus pubispinus
Name authority Clover & Jotter: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 68: 419, fig. 8. (1941) (Engelmann) L. D. Benson: Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) 38: 103. (1966)
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