Ferocactus echidne (Sonora barrel)

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

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:

Desert-tropicals.com

CactiGuide.com

Www.cactushabitat.com

Wikimedia Commons

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species

Echinocactus echidne A. P. de Candolle 1834

Echinocactus victoriensis (Rose) Backeberg 1961

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

Echinocactus rafaelensis J. A. Purpus 1912