''Ferocactus cylindraceus'' is a species of

barrel cactus Barrel cacti are various members of the two genera ''Echinocactus'' and '' Ferocactus'', endemic to the deserts of Southwestern North America southward to north central Mexico. Some of the largest specimens are found in the Sonoran Desert in Sou ...

which is known by several common names, including California barrel cactus, Desert barrel cactus, and miner's compass. It was first described by

George Engelmann George Engelmann, also known as Georg Engelmann, (2 February 1809 – 4 February 1884) was a German-American botanist. He was instrumental in describing the flora of the west of North America, then very poorly known to Europeans; he was particul ...

in 1853.

Distribution and habitat

This cactus is native to the eastern

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

and western

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Ariz ...

Ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

s in: Southern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, and

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

in the Southwestern United States; and

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, and

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

state in Northwestern Mexico. It is found in gravelly, rocky, or sandy soils, in

Creosote Bush ''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and ''gobernadora'' (Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. In S ...

Scrub and Joshua Tree Woodland habitats, from in elevation.Jepson
. accessed 4.1.2013

Description

''Ferocactus cylindraceus'' is usually cylindrical or spherical, with some older specimens forming columns in height. It is covered in long, plentiful spines, which are straight and red when new and become curved and gray as they age. The cactus bears flowers that are maroon outside, and bright yellow inside, with red or yellow centers on the side that faces the sun. The fleshy, hollow fruits are yellow.

Varieties

* ''Ferocactus cylindraceus cylindraceus''— California barrel cactus. * ''Ferocactus cylindraceus lecontei'' (Engelm.) N.P.Taylor — Leconte's barrel cactus. * ''Ferocactus cylindraceus tortulispinus'' (H.E.Gates) N.P.Taylor

Conservation

Having a sculptural form and picturesque qualities, this already uncommon cactus is threatened by plant collectors. It is also losing habitat to clearing for new

wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...

s and solar power plants in the Mojave Desert and

Colorado Desert California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella and Imperial valleys. It is home to many unique flora and fauna. Geography and geology The Colorado D ...

. ;Protected areas with notable populations include: *

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (, '' AN-zə bə-RAY-goh'') is a California State Park located within the Colorado Desert of southern California, United States. The park takes its name from 18th century Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and ...

Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees (''Yucca brevifolia'') native to the Mojave Desert. Origin ...

Mojave National Preserve Mojave National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994, with the passage of ...

* Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

References

Gallery

Image:Ferocactus cylindraceus 2.jpg, Flower, in Palm Canyon, California. Image:Joshua Tree NP - Barrel Cactus -2.jpg, Red barrel cacti,

. Image:Ferocactus cylindraceus weird.jpg, Unusual shape, in Palm Canyon, California.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Ferocactus cylindraceus''USDA Plants Profile: ''Ferocactus cylindraceus'' (California barrel cactus)''Ferocactus cylindraceus'' in Flora of North America @ efloras.org''Ferocactus cylindraceus'' — U.C. Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q138301 cylindraceus Cacti of the United States North American desert flora Flora of the California desert regions Flora of Arizona Flora of Nevada Flora of Utah Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Flora of the Coachella Valley Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the Lower Colorado River Valley Plants described in 1853 Flora without expected TNC conservation status