''Escobaria vivipara'' is a species of

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...

known by several common names, including spinystar, viviparous foxtail cactus, pincushion cactus and ball cactus. It is native to North America, where certain varieties can be found from Mexico to Canada. Most of these varieties are limited to the Mojave and

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 ...

s. The species epithet ''"vivipara"'' is due to the species'

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...

reproductive habit.

Description

This is a small round cactus growing to a maximum height of about , often remaining smaller and oblong or spherical. It is densely covered in a mat of star-shaped arrays of straight white spines long. It flowers in yellow, pink, red, or purple blooms across.

Varieties

Varieties include: *''Escobaria vivipara'' var. ''arizonica'' (Arizona spinystar) – native to the desert southwest of the United States *''Escobaria vivipara'' var. ''bisbeeana'' (Bisbee spinystar) – native to

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

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

*''Escobaria vivipara'' var. ''deserti'' (Desert spinystar) – found in the desert southwest *''Escobaria vivipara'' var. ''kaibabensis'' (Kaibab spinystar) – mostly limited to Arizona *''Escobaria vivipara'' var. ''neomexicana'' (New Mexico spinystar) – native to New Mexico and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

*''Escobaria vivipara'' var. ''vivipara'' – known as far north as

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

Distribution

The species has a broad range across the western interior of North America, from northern Mexico to the Canadian prairies. Its distribution in the early

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...

era is known to have differed locally from its present range. From pollen core data, a portion of the prehistoric distribution of this species has been mapped; for example in the Late Wisconsin period, ''Escobaria vivipara'' occurred in the Waterman Mountains ( Coconino County) of northern

, (the Waterman Mountains are in SE

), although the species does not occur in this location in the present time. In the US state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, it is listed as a threatened species and is at the most easterly extent of its natural range; it is rare in the state and found in a narrow section of the western part of the state, where it is found growing in crevices and outcroppings of granite. It consists of one population that in the past was recorded by Lycurgus Moyer, who found it in 1898, as "quite abundant", but because of habitat loss due to farming, its numbers have declined. The remaining plants are also threatened by illegal harvesting by cactus fanciers, who plant it in rock gardens and windowsills. Notably, ''Escobaria vivipara'' is one of only four cactus species native to Canada, growing in the southern prairies of Alberta, Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba. File: Escobaria vivipara (7462396824).jpg, Flowering specimen near Phillips, Montana, USA File:Escobaria vivipara (4008222754).jpg, Characteristic reddish spines

Notes

References

* C. Michael Hogan. 2009
''Elephant Tree: Bursera microphylla'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
* ''Jepson Manual''. 1993
''Escobaria vivipara''. University of California, Berkeley
* U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2009
USDA: ''Escobaria vivipara''

External links

*
Jepson Manual Treatment of ''Escobaria vivipara''USDA Plants Profile for ''Escobaria vivipara'' (spinystar)''Escobaria vivipara'' — U.C. Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q141208 vivipara Cacti of Canada Cacti of Mexico Cacti of the United States Flora of the Western United States Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of Western Canada Flora of the Great Plains (North America) North American desert flora Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Flora of the Chihuahuan Desert Flora of the Great Basin Natural history of the Lower Colorado River Valley Natural history of the Mojave Desert Flora without expected TNC conservation status