Echinocereus dasyacanthus

Engelmann in F. A. Wislizenus

in F. A. Wislizenus, Mem. Tour N. Mexico, 100. 1848.

Common names: Texas rainbow cactus spiny hedgehog cactus
Synonyms: Echinocereus pectinatus var. dasyacanthus (Engelmann) W. Earle ex N. P. Taylor
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Mentioned on page 163.

Plants unbranched or few branched, forming loose clumps of fewer than 20 stiff branches in old age. Stems erect, ovoid, becoming cylindric with age, 11–23 (–40) × (4.5–) 5.5–7 (–10) cm; ribs (13–) 15–19 (–21), crests rather sharply undulate; areoles 5–11 mm apart. Spines 19–28 per areole, straight, appressed (radial spines) or spreading in all directions (central spines), presenting relatively bristly appearance (except when spines very short, and then having relatively smooth appearance as in E. pectinatus), pink to pale-yellow, white, or tan, less often dark-brown or purplish, annual growth increments marked (often vaguely) by rings of spines with contrasting colors; radial spines (16–) 17–25 (–28) per areole, 5–15 (–25) mm; central spines (2–) 8–12 (–15) per areole, terete, largest spines 4.5–9.5 (–14) mm. Flowers 7–8.5 (–10) × 7–12 cm; flower tube 10–20 × to 10 mm; flower tube hairs 1–3 mm; inner tepals either yellow (rarely orange-yellow, sometimes becoming salmon or rose-pink with age), or rose-pink to magenta, proximal 5–30% green in either case, (25–) 32–69 (–77) × 8–23 mm, tips relatively thin and delicate; anthers yellow; nectar chamber 2–6 mm. Fruits dark dull purplish to maroon (sometimes remaining green), 2–3.5 cm, pulp white to purplish-pink. 2n = 44.


Phenology: Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Chihuahuan desert scrub, valleys to rocky canyonsides, limestone
Elevation: 600-1500 m

Distribution

V4 314-distribution-map.gif

N.Mex., Tex., Mexico (Chihuahua), Mexico (Coahuila)

Discussion

Flower color of Echinocereus dasyacanthus is spectacularly polymorphic. Unlike E. pectinatus var. wenigeri, however, the inner tepals are never white proximally. No hybrids are known to occur where the tetraploid E. dasyacanthus grows sympatrically with the diploid E. pectinatus, near the Pecos River. The names E. pectinatus var. neomexicanus and var. minor pertain to the hybrids with E. coccineus, E. ×roetteri, including E. ×lloydia. L. D. Benson (1969) misapplied the epithet neomexicanus to E. dasyacanthus. In Big Bend National Park, a few populations with unusually short spines are the basis for erroneous reports of E. pectinatus var. wenigeri, E. pectinatus var. pectinatus, and E. ctenoides (Engelmann) Lemaire. Reports from Arizona were apparently misidentifications of E. pseudopectinatus.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number.

... more about "Echinocereus dasyacanthus"
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
cushionlike +
circular to linear +
deciduous +  and persistent +
hourglass--shaped +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
Allan D. Zimmerman +  and Bruce D. Parfitt +
Engelmann in F. A. Wislizenus +
hardened +
triangular +
0 +  and 20 +
6.9 cm69 mm <br />0.069 m <br /> (7.7 cm77 mm <br />0.077 m <br />) +
3.2 cm32 mm <br />0.032 m <br /> (6.9 cm69 mm <br />0.069 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.3 cm23 mm <br />0.023 m <br />) +
curved +  and straight +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Texas rainbow cactus +  and spiny hedgehog cactus +
mucilaginous +
undulate +
N.Mex. +, Tex. +, Mexico (Chihuahua) +  and Mexico (Coahuila) +
600-1500 m +
not separating +
8.5 cm85 mm <br />0.085 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (8.5 cm85 mm <br />0.085 m <br />) +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
purplish;maroon +
dehiscent +  and indehiscent +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
spheric +  and narrowly obovoid +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
Chihuahuan desert scrub, valleys to rocky canyonsides, limestone +
0.95 cm9.5 mm <br />0.0095 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.95 cm9.5 mm <br />0.0095 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
rudimentary +
flat +  and terete +
nearly +  and microscopic +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
fluted;spheric;depressed-spheric or club-shaped +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
smooth +  and tuberculate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering Mar–May +  and fruiting Jun–Aug. +
mucilaginous +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
in F. A. Wislizenus, Mem. Tour N. Mexico, +
white +  and purplish-pink +
triangular +
arillate +  and strophiolate +
dark reddish-brown +  and black +
0.4mm;12mm +
rugose +  and tuberculate +
spheric;obovoid +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
black +, brown +, reddish +, yellow +  and white +
straight +
deciduous +
3mm +  and 150mm +
spreading +  and appressed +
17 (?) +  and 25 (?) +
roughened +  and smooth +
acicular +  and subulate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
decurrent +
unsegmented +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
yellow-green +  and dark green +
11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br /> (23 cm230 mm <br />0.23 m <br />) +
cylindric +  and ovoid +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
succulent +
1cm;15cm +
yellowish green +  and green +
tuberculate +
Echinocereus pectinatus var. dasyacanthus +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Echinocereus dasyacanthus +
Echinocereus +
species +
dull +  and glossy +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
branched +, few +  and unbranched +
epiphytic;epiphytic;epiphytic +
decumbent +, pendent +, sprawling +, ascending +  and erect +
barrel-shaped +  and spheric +