''Echinocactus'' 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
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, ...
in the subfamily
Cactoideae
The Cactoideae are the largest subfamily of the cactus family, Cactaceae, and are widely distributed throughout the Americas. Cactaceae is the 5th most endangered plant or animal family evaluated globally by the International Union for Conservati ...
.
The generic name derives 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 (''echînos''), meaning "spiny," and ''cactus''. It and ''
Ferocactus'' are the two genera of
barrel cactus. Members of the genus usually have heavy spination and relatively small flowers. The fruits are copiously woolly, and this is one major distinction between ''Echinocactus'' and ''Ferocactus''. Propagation is by seed.
Species
As of 2025, the genus includes 3 accepted species out of hundreds of plants having the name.
Formerly placed here
*''
Astrophytum asterias''
(Zucc.) Lem. (as ''E. asterias''
Zucc.)
*''
Aztekium ritteri''
(Boed.) Boed. (as ''E. ritteri''
Boed.)
*''
Kroenleinia grusonii''
(Hildm.) Lodé (as ''E. grusonii''
Hildm.)
*''
Ferocactus wislizeni''
(Engelm.) Britton & Rose (as ''E. wislizeni''
Engelm.)
*''
Lophophora williamsii''
(Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) J.M.Coult. (as ''E. williamsii''
Lem. ex Salm-Dyck)
*''
Turbinicarpus subterraneus''
(Backeb.) A.D.Zimm. (''as E. subterraneus''
Backeb.)
Also see
Homalocephala (plant)
References
* Innes C, Wall B (1995). ''Cacti, Succulents and Bromeliads''. Cassell & The Royal Horticultural Society.
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Echinocactus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133014
Cacti of Mexico
Cacti of the United States
Cactoideae genera