Ferocactus pottsii (Salm-Dyck) Backeb.
Biznaga
Whatever this cactus is called (see below), it is a Mexican native.
| Confusion Alert: Is it pottsi or pottsii (or even potsii)? The name is for John Potts, manager of a mint in Ciudad, Chihuahua in the mid 1800s, and an enthusiastic naturalist. According to Anderson’s The Cactus Family, the name is Ferocactus pottsi, but an older synonym is Echinocactus pottsii (pottsii with two “i’s”). Poor Mr. Potts might be mortified to know that Latinizing his name has confused more than one naturalist: a fish he discovered in the Río Chuviscar in Chihuahua was originally named Etheostoma potsii and later corrected to pottsii. I couldn’t find any definitive rule in Botanical Latin for the spelling of the genitive case singular of proper names ending in “s.” Thanks to David Hollombe for directing my attention to the relevant portion of the ICN (International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants), which confirms that pottsii is correct. |
| If you aren’t confused yet, and I’m not doing my job if you aren’t, there is a Ferocactus pottsi var. alamosensis and a Ferocactus pottsii var. alamosanus (see cactus-art.biz). In addition to once again betraying uncertainty about the number of “i’s” in “pottsii,” alamosensis and alamosanus, one possibly a misspelling of the other, nevertheless actually do describe different species. Ferocactus pottsii var. alamosanus is now known as Ferocactus alamosanus. |
Plants: up to 3′ (1 m) tall and 1½′ (50 cm) in diameter, with 20 ribs. Each areole (the base of a spine cluster) contains a central spine up to 3″ (7.5 cm) long, and 3-8 radial spines. Larger spines are darker, tinged with red-brown, and smaller spines are grayish white or yellow.
Flowers: Shaped like small bowls (most in this genus are funnel-shaped), and are yellow, sometimes with orange-red centers.
Fruits: Spherical, yellow, and up to 1½″ (4 cm) in length.
Habitats: Tropical deciduous forest up to the pine forest, at elevations of 787–3281′ (240–1000 m), in Sierra Canela, Chihuahua.
References:
Online References:
Desert-tropicals.com (Ferocactus pottsi)
Cactus Art: the World of Cacti & Succulents (Ferocactus pottsi var. alamosensis)
Echinocactus pottsii Salm-Dyck
5/24/2009 · Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona · ≈ 1½ × 1½′ (43 × 43 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| 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 | pottsii |
Ferocactus pottsii description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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