Echinocereus pentalophus

(de Candolle) Haage

Cact.-Verz., 20. 1859.

Common names: Alicoche ladyfinger cactus
Illustrated
Basionym: Cereus pentalophus de Candolle Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. 17: 117. 1828
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 171. Mentioned on page 158, 159.

Plants branched, clumps to 20 × 100 cm. Stems weak, sprawling, soon decumbent [erect and rhizomatous], ± 10–60 × 1–2 [–6] cm; ribs 4–5, crests sharp and straight to poorly defined and undulate; areoles 5–12 mm apart. Spines (3–) 4–7 (–9) per areole, usually very stiff and straight, yellowish, tan, ashy white to dark gray, or pale-pink, tips dark, all terete; radial spines (3–) 4–6 (–8) per areole, spreading, 6–37 mm; central spines 0–1 per areole, porrect or ascending, 4–36 (–60) mm. Flowers 6–10 × 7.5–10 (–15) cm; flower tube 20–25 × 8–20 mm; flower tube hairs 3–6 mm; inner tepals brilliant pink or magenta distally with distinct white or yellow proximal regions of variable extent [very rarely white throughout], 3.5–6 × 9–18 mm, tips relatively thin and delicate; anthers orange-yellow; nectar chamber 3–6 mm. Fruits green, (10–) 15–25 mm, pulp white. 2n = 22.


Phenology: Flowering Apr–May; fruiting 3-4 months after flowering.
Habitat: Tamaulipan thorn scrub, Agave lechuguilla-Hechtia associations, alluvial coastal plains, [pine-oak forests, limestone cliffs]
Elevation: 0-2200 m

Distribution

V4 327-distribution-map.gif

Tex., Mexico (Coahuila), Mexico (Nuevo León), Mexico (San Luis Potosí), Mexico (Tamaulipas)

Discussion

Our northern plants of Echinocereus pentalophus are var. procumbens (Engelmann) P. Fournier; they have often been misidentified as E. berlandieri. Both taxa have often been misidentified as the Mexican species E. blanckii [often misspelled as E. “blankii”], of confused authorship. Confusing variation of E. pentalophus has promulgated misidentifications, misapplications of names, and attempts to recognize multiple taxa.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number.

... more about "Echinocereus pentalophus"
orange-yellow +
cushionlike +
circular to linear +
deciduous +  and persistent +
hourglass--shaped +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
Allan D. Zimmerman +  and Bruce D. Parfitt +
(de Candolle) Haage +
hardened +
Cereus pentalophus +
triangular +
3.6 cm36 mm <br />0.036 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
curved +  and straight +
ascending +  and porrect +
variously angled +  and flattened +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (3.6 cm36 mm <br />0.036 m <br />) +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
Alicoche +  and ladyfinger cactus +
mucilaginous +
straight +
undulate +  and sharp +
Tex. +, Mexico (Coahuila) +, Mexico (Nuevo León) +, Mexico (San Luis Potosí) +  and Mexico (Tamaulipas) +
0-2200 m +
not separating +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 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 />) +
dehiscent +  and indehiscent +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
spheric +  and narrowly obovoid +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
Tamaulipan thorn scrub, Agave lechuguilla-Hechtia associations, alluvial coastal plains, [pine-oak forests, limestone cliffs] +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 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 +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
smooth +  and tuberculate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering Apr–May +  and fruiting 3-4 months after flowering. +
mucilaginous +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
yellow +, white +  and distinct +
Cact.-Verz., +
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 +
Illustrated +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
ashy white +  and dark gray or pale-pink +
straight +
deciduous +
3mm +  and 150mm +
4 (?) +  and 6 (?) +
roughened +  and smooth +
acicular +  and subulate +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (3.7 cm37 mm <br />0.037 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 +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
yellow-green +  and dark green +
decumbent +  and sprawling +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
tapering +, spheric +  and long cylindric +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
succulent +
1cm;2cm +
yellowish green +  and green +
tuberculate +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Echinocereus pentalophus +
Echinocereus +
species +
dull +  and glossy +
terete +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
epiphytic;epiphytic;epiphytic +
decumbent +, pendent +, sprawling +, ascending +  and erect +
barrel-shaped +  and spheric +