Echinocactus horizonthalonius
devilshead
Family CactaceaeAlso called Turk's head cactus, blue barrel cactus, eagle's claw, horse crippler
About
Devilshead is a small blue-grey barrel cactus of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, usually on limestone, with bright pink flowers. One of its varieties is federally listed as endangered in the United States.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Mature size
- Up to about 45 cm tall and 20 cm wide.
Field notes
Morphology
Gray-green to blue-gray and globular, columnar or flat-topped, up to about 45 cm tall and 20 cm wide. Ribs twist around the stem in a spiral, carrying areoles with up to 10 pink, gray or brown spines that can exceed 4 cm. Pink to magenta flowers 7–9 cm wide open around midday and close at night; the fruit is woolly and pink or red.
Distribution & habitat
Southwestern United States and northern Mexico, in the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, particularly on limestone.
Ecology
Flowers mostly in June; rain can trigger flowers to open and can bring a second flush in late summer and autumn.
Conservation
One of its two varieties is listed as endangered under US federal law.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States, Mexico
- IUCN status
- Least concern
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Crossed E. horizonthalonius with another species?Register the cross. If it's not documented yet you'll be the first contributor; if someone already registered it, you'll be taken there to add your photo.