''Echinocereus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of ribbed, usually small to medium-sized,

cylindrical A cylinder () has traditionally been a Solid geometry, three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a Prism (geometry), prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may ...

shaped

cacti A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

, comprising about 70

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to the southern United States and Mexico in very sunny, rocky places. Usually the

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are large and the

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

edible. The name comes from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

ἐχῖνος (''echinos''), meaning "sea urchin", and the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''cereus'' meaning "candle". They are sometimes known as hedgehog cacti, a term also used for the ''

Pediocactus ''Pediocactus'' (Greek: πεδίον (pedion) means "plain", "flat", "field") is a genus of cacti native to the Western United States. The genus comprises between 6 and 11 species, depending upon the authority. Species of this genus are referred ...

'' and ''

Echinopsis ''Echinopsis'' is a genus of Cactus, cacti native plant, native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. , there are about 20 accepted species, ranging from large and treelike types to small ...

''.

Description

The species of the genus ''Echinocereus'' grow solitary or branching with prostrate to erect shoots that are spherical to cylindrical. The roots are fibrous or bulbous. The plants reach heights of growth between 1 and 60 centimeters. On the tips of the 4 to 26 ribs, which are mostly clear and only rarely resolved into humps, are the areoles, from which differently shaped spines can arise. A distinctive characteristic and likely

synapomorphy In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel Phenotypic trait, character or character state that has evolution, evolved from its ancestral form (or Plesiomorphy and symplesiomorphy, plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy sh ...

of the genus is the erumpent flowers. The floral buds develop internally and break through the epidermis of the stem. This flower morphology is likely an adaptation to protect the developing buds from low temperatures. Upon maturity, the flowers are usually brightly colored and open during the day. ''Echinocereus'' floral color is variable because perianth color reflects pollinator specificity. Red flowers are generally associated with hummingbird pollination, while pink flowers tend to correspond to moth pollination. Their pericarp and floral tubes are studded with thorns, bristles, and sometimes wool. The scar is usually green, but sometimes white in color. The spherical to ovoid fruits are green to red and mostly thorny. They are mostly juicy and open along a longitudinal slit. The sometimes fragrant fruits contain broadly oval, black, tuberous seeds 0.8 to 2 millimeters long.

Taxonomy

''Echinocereus'' is a genus in the tribe Echinocereeae within the subfamily Cactoideae of the Cactaceae family. The Cactoideae can be further divided into two sister clades, Cactoideae I and II. Echinocereus is situated within the Cactoideae I clade within the Pachycereeae tribe, a tribe that represents a diversification that yielded columnar and arborescent forms. ''Echinocereus'' emerged 4.6 ± 1.7 million years ago.Arakaki, M., Christin, P. A., Nyffeler, R., Lendel, A., Eggli, U., Ogburn, R. M., ... & Edwards, E. J. (2011). Contemporaneous and recent radiations of the world's major succulent plant lineages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(20), 8379-8384. ''Echinocereus'' is a strongly supported monophyletic genus that is sister to ''Stenocereus,'' although there has historically been substantial debate about infrageneric classification because of the genus's high rates of morphological variation and convergent evolution.

Cultivation

''Echinocereus'' spp. are easier to cultivate than many other cacti. They need light soil, a sunny exposure, and a fresh and dry winter to flower. They grow better in soil slightly richer than other cacti. In the wild, several of the species are

cold hardy Hardiness of plants describes their ability to survive adverse growing conditions. It is usually limited to discussions of climatic adversity. Thus a plant's ability to tolerate cold, heat, drought, flooding, or wind are typically considered measu ...

, tolerating temperatures as low as −23 °C, but only in dry conditions.

Species

The following species are recognized in the genus ''Echinocereus'' by

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

: separated by sections established in Phylogeny in Echinocereus (Cactaceae) based on combined morphological and molecular evidence: taxonomic implications 2017.

Natural hybrids

Formerly placed here

*''

Echinopsis candicans ''Soehrensia candicans'' is a species of cactus from northern and western Argentina (Monte Desert). It has large fragrant white flowers that open at night., pp. 260–261 Description ''Soehrensia candicans'' has a shrubby growth habit, with indi ...

'' (Gillies ex Salm-Dyck) F.A.C.Weber ex D.R.Hunt (as ''E. candicans'' (Gillies ex Salm-Dyck) Rümpler)

References

External links

* *
Echinocereus on CactiGuide.com

''Echinocereus Online''
(in German)
USDA PLANTS Profile
* {{Authority control Cactoideae genera Cacti of North America Entheogens