Ferocactus echidne (Sonora barrel)

Ferocactus echidne (A. P. de Candolle) Britton & Rose 1922

Echinocactus echidne A. P. de Candolle 1834

Echinocactus victoriensis Rose 1909

Ferocactus echidne var. victoriensis (Rose) G. E. Lindsay 1955

Echinocactus victoriensis (Rose) Backeberg 1961

Echinocactus rafaelensis J. A. Purpus 1912

Ferocactus rafaelensis (J. A. Purpus) Borg 1937

Ferocactus rhodanthus Fritz Schwartz 1979

Sonora barrel

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Caryophyllidae	Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts
Order	Caryophyllales	Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants
Family	Cactaceae	Succulent (water-storing) plants, often spiny
Genus	Ferocactus	From the Latin ferus, “fierce,” and cactus, referring to its heavy spines
Species	echidne

About plant names...

Ferocactus echidne is native to central Mexico.

Identification: Plants are gray-green, up to 14" (35 cm) high and up to 8" (20 cm) in diameter, singly- or multiply-stemmed, with 13-16 prominent ribs. A central spine up to 1¾" (5 cm) long is surrounded by 7-9 shorter spines; spines are light to dark brown. Yellow, funnel-shaped flowers ¾-1¾" (2-4.5 cm) long and 1-1¼" (3-3.5 cm) around appear in the center of the top of each stem. Fruits are up to ¾" (2 cm) long, oval or ball-shaped, light green or white, tinged with pink or red.

References:

Anderson, Edward F., The Cactus Family, Timber Press, 2001, p. 328

Online References:

Ferocactus echidne on Desert-tropicals.com

Ferocactus echidne on CactiGuide.com

Ferocactus echidne on www.cactushabitat.com

Ferocactus echidne on Wikimedia Commons

Ferocactus echidne on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species

Ferocactus echidne description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland
≈ 21 × 14" (54 × 35 cm)

Range: Zones 9b-11:

About this map...