Ferocactus cylindraceus (Compass barrel)

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Ferocactus cylindraceus (Engelm.) Orcutt

Compass barrel, fishhook cactus, barrel cactus, California barrel cactus, biznaga, cliff barrel cactus, compass cactus, desert barrel cactus, golden-spined barrel cactus, le conte barrel cactus, spiny barrel cactus

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	cylindraceus	“Long and round, cylindrical”

About plant names...

Ferocactus means "wild or fierce" cactus, and cylindraceus means cylindrical. These cacti are well protected with fishhook-like spines. They are natives of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Identification: Plants are up to 9½' (3 m) high and 20" (50 cm) in diameter, usually found singly, rarely branched. The stem has 20-30 ribs which may be vertical or spirally arranged. Most notable are the central spines, of which there are 4-7 in each group. These large spines are variously colored white, red, yellow, or brown. They have rounded or flat cross-sections, and are often curved. Each central spine is 1¾-6" (5-15 cm) long. Radial spines resembling the spokes of a wheel appear underneath the central spine clusters. They are much smaller, almost hairlike, often white, in clusters of 15-25. Yellow (rarely orange) funnel-shaped flowers are 1½-2" (4-6 cm) in diameter and 1-2" (3-6 cm) long. Rarely, the flowers have a reddish midstripe. Fruits are bright yellow 1-1½" (3-4 cm) × ½-¾" (1.5-2 cm), and leathery.

References:

Anderson, Edward F., The Cactus Family, Timber Press, 2001, p. 327

Online References:

The Mindbird Maps and Books unofficial Mojave National Preserve site

5/25/2009 · Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona
≈ 19 × 22" (48 × 55 cm) ID is uncertain

5/1/2018 · Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center, Twentynine Palms, California
≈ 14 × 18" (34 × 46 cm)

5/2/2018 · Cottonwood Visitor Center, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 8 × 10" (20 × 24 cm)

5/25/2009 · Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona
≈ 31 × 47" (78 × 118 cm)

5/2/2018 · Forty-nine Palms Canyon Trail, Forty-nine Palms Oasis, Joshua Tree, California
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

4/30/2018 · Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 21 × 26" (52 × 66 cm)

Echinocactus viridescens var. cylindraceus Engelmann 1852

Echinocactus cylindraceus (Engelmann) Engelmann 1856

Echinocactus acanthodes Lemaire 1839 (rejected)

Ferocactus acanthodes (Lemaire) Britton & Rose 1922 (rejected name)

Echinocactus lecontei Engelmann 1856

Ferocactus lecontei (Engelmann) Britton & Rose 1922

Ferocactus acanthodes var. lecontei (Engelmann) G. E. Lindsay 1955

Ferocactus cylindraceus var. lecontei (Engelmann) Bravo 1980

Ferocactus cylindraceus subsp. lecontei (Engelmann) N. P. Taylor 1998

Ferocactus rostii Britton & Rose 1922

Ferocactus acanthodes var. rostii (Britton & Rose) W. T. Marshall & Bock 1941

Echinocactus hertrichii Weinberg 1929

Ferocactus tortulispinus H. E. Gates 1933

Ferocactus acanthodes var. tortulispinus (H. E. Gates) G. E. Lindsay 1955

Ferocactus cylindraceus var. tortulispinus (H. E. Gates) Bravo 1980

Ferocactus cylindraceus subsp. tortulispinus (H. E. Gates) N. P. Taylor 1998

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

5/2/2018 · Forty-nine Palms Canyon Trail, Forty-nine Palms Oasis, Joshua Tree, California
≈ 19 × 19" (49 × 49 cm)

5/2/2018 · Cottonwood Visitor Center, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
≈ 21 × 28" (52 × 70 cm)

4/30/2018 · Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 6 × 10" (16 × 24 cm)

5/2/2018 · Forty-nine Palms Canyon Trail, Forty-nine Palms Oasis, Joshua Tree, California
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

4/30/2018 · Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm)

5/24/2009 · Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona
≈ 20 × 15" (51 × 37 cm)

5/2/2018 · Cottonwood Visitor Center, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

5/2/2018 · Cottonwood Visitor Center, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm)

5/24/2009 · Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona
≈ 23 × 15" (59 × 39 cm)

4/30/2018 · Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 6 × 10" (16 × 24 cm)

Range: Zones 9-10:

About this map...