''Pediocactus nigrispinus'' is a

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), ...

in the

cactus 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, ...

family with the common names snowball cactus, Columbia Plateau cactus, and basalt cactus. It is found in dry areas in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

Proposals
have tried to make it the Official State Cactus for Washington State.

Description

Initially spherical, the plant transforms into an egg-shaped configuration as it matures into a densely spiny (often flattened) ovoid form. It grows to tall and from wide. It usually develops into a cluster of ribbed stems, which are wide and green to grayish-blue. There is a characteristic dense arrangement of 4 to 11 large central spines, measuring long and yellowish to reddish-brown. There are 15–35 smaller, whitish spines up to 1.5 cm long. The showy pink to magenta flowers appear in the spring and form a cluster near the apex of each stem.Burke Herbarium Image Collection
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Taxonomy

It was described in 1992 by Fritz Hochstätter, who named it after its black spines.

Distribution and habitat

The Columbia Plateau cactus grows in big sagebrush and lower montane dry habitats in eastern

and

and extending into

in dry regions, steppes and semi-deserts on hills or rocky outcrops at altitudes between .Hitchcock, C.L. and Cronquist, A. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd Edition, p. 378. University of Washington Press, Seattle. It grows in scattered locations but is often locally abundant. Other plants in the habitat include ''

Opuntia polyacantha ''Opuntia polyacantha'' is a common species of cactus known by the common names plains pricklypear,Johnson, K. A. 2000''Opuntia polyacantha''.In: Fire Effects Information System, nline U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mo ...

'' and '' O. fragilis''. File:Pediocactus nigrispinus in Kittitas County Washington.jpg, Growing in

Kittitas County, Washington Kittitas County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima ...

File:Pediocactus nigrispinus fh 9 35 ID BC.jpg, Growing near the Salmon River in Idaho File:Pediocactus nigrispinus fh 9.35 ID B.jpg, Growing in habitat in Idaho File:HCW Pediocactus nigrispinus 002.jpg, Growing on basalt outcrop in

References

External links

* *
Flora of North America
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2066285 nigrispinus Endemic flora of the United States Flora of the Western United States