Sclerocactus parviflorus

Clover & Jotter

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 68: 419, fig. 8. 1941.

Common names: Devil’s-claw cactus small flower fishhook cactus
Endemic
Synonyms: Echinocactus parviflorus (Clover & Jotter) L. D. Benson Echinocact parviflorus var. havasupaiensis (Clover) L. D. Benson Echinocact parviflorus var. roseus (Clover) L. D. Benson Ferocactus parviflorus K. D. Heil Pediocactus parviflorus Clover Sclerocactus contortus Peebles Sclerocactus havasupaiensis var. roseus Clover Sclerocactus intermedius (Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow) Britton & Rose Sclerocactus parviflorus subsp. havasupaiensis (Clover) Hochstätter Sclerocactus parviflorus var. intermedius (Peebles) D. Woodruff & L. D. Benson Sclerocactus parviflorus subsp. terrae-canyonae (K. D. Heil) K. D. Heil & J. M. Porter Sclerocactus terrae-canyonae Sclerocactus whipplei var. intermedius (Peebles) L. D. Benson Sclerocactus whipplei var. roseus (Clover) L. D. Benson
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 202. Mentioned on page 199, 200, 201, 203, 205.

Stems unbranched or branched near base, depressed-spheric, spheric, cylindric, or elongate-cylindric, 4.5–45 × 3.5–14.5 cm; ribs (10–) 13 (–16), tubercles evident on ribs. Spines frequently obscuring stems; radial spines 8–17 per areole, usually white, sometimes brown or purplish-pink, 6–36 mm; central spines (3–) 4–6 (–8) per areole, 1–5 hooked; abaxial central spine usually purple black, hooked, 15–72 × 0.6–1 mm; lateral spines 2–6 per areole, similar to abaxial, usually shorter, usually not hooked; adaxial central spine usually white (rarely gray, straw colored, pink, or reddish-brown), flat to angled or terete; straight (rarely contorted), 17–82 (–90) × 0.7–1.5 (–3) mm. Flowers funnelform to campanulate, (2–) 3–5.7 (–7) × 2.5–5.5 (–8) cm; outer tepals with greenish or brownish purple midstripes and rose to purple, pink, yellow, or white margins, oblanceolate, 25–50 × 6–10 mm, mucronate, margins entire; inner tepals rose to purple, pink, or yellow (rarely white), oblanceolate, 15–55 × 6–12 mm, margins entire to fringed, apex mucronate; filaments purple, yellow, or green; anthers yellow; ovary papillate, appearing granular. Fruits irregularly dehiscent, green turning reddish-pink, 10–30 × 10–15 mm; scales few, membranous fringed. Seeds dark-brown to black, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–3 mm; testa with rounded papillae.


Phenology: Flowering late Apr–May.
Habitat: Sandy, gravelly, or clay hills, mesas, and washes, desert grasslands or saltbush, sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and blackbrush communities, pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation: 1000-2100 m

Distribution

V4 377-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., Colo., N.Mex., Utah.

Discussion

Sclerocactus parviflorus has an extensive range and great morphologic variation. Many named segregates have been proposed (L. D. Benson 1982; K. D. Heil and J. M. Porter 1994; F. Hochstätter 1995b) and some of these clearly merit recognition at the subspecific or varietal level. However, we are not attempting to subdivide this very complex group. Considerable work remains in understanding morphologic diversification within this species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number. "broad" is not a number.

... more about "Sclerocactus parviflorus"
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (7.2 cm72 mm <br />0.072 m <br />) +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
8.2 cm82 mm <br />0.082 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br /> (8.2 cm82 mm <br />0.082 m <br />) +
flat +  and angled or terete +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
mucronate +
cushionlike +
spine-bearing +
circular to linear +
deciduous +  and persistent +
connected +
1 +  and 5 +
elliptic +  and pyriform +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
Kenneth D. Heil +  and J. Mark Porter +
Clover & Jotter +
hardened +
triangular +
pink +  and purplish-pink or black +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Devil’s-claw cactus +  and small flower fishhook cactus +
mucilaginous +
notched +
Ariz. +, Colo. +, N.Mex. +  and Utah. +
1000-2100 m +
not separating +
green +, yellow +  and purple +
5.7 cm57 mm <br />0.057 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5.7 cm57 mm <br />0.057 m <br />) +
campanulate +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br />) +
2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
green turning reddish-pink +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
cylindric +  and subspheric +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
Sandy, gravelly, or clay hills, mesas, and washes, desert grasslands or saltbush, sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and blackbrush communities, pinyon-juniper woodlands +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br />) +
oblanceolate +
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 +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
entire +  and fringed +
brownish purple +  and greenish +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
papillate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering late Apr–May. +
mucilaginous +
abscission +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club +
greenish +  and white +
tuberculate +
fringed +
membranous +
arillate +  and strophiolate +
dark-brown +  and black +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
shiny +  and glossy +
obovoid;pyriform;obovoid;pyriform;lenticular-reniform;comma--shaped;spheric +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
purplish-pink +, brown +  and white +
curved +  and straight +
deciduous +  and persistent +
8 (?) +  and 17 (?) +
annulate-ridged +, hairlike +, daggerlike +, subulate +  and acicular +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (3.6 cm36 mm <br />0.036 m <br />) +
hard +  and rigid +
decurrent +
branched +  and unbranched +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
pale +  and dark green or bluish green +
4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (45 cm450 mm <br />0.45 m <br />) +
elongate-cylindric +, cylindric +, spheric +  and depressed-spheric +
succulent +
3.5cm;14.5cm +
creamy white +, yellow +, green +  and pink +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
flat-topped +
tuberculate +
Echinocactus parviflorus +, Echinocact parviflorus var. havasupaiensis +, Echinocact parviflorus var. roseus +, Ferocactus parviflorus +, Pediocactus parviflorus +, Sclerocactus contortus +, Sclerocactus havasupaiensis var. roseus +, Sclerocactus intermedius +, Sclerocactus parviflorus subsp. havasupaiensis +, Sclerocactus parviflorus var. intermedius +, Sclerocactus parviflorus subsp. terrae-canyonae +, Sclerocactus terrae-canyonae +, Sclerocactus whipplei var. intermedius +  and Sclerocactus whipplei var. roseus +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Sclerocactus parviflorus +
Sclerocactus +
species +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
lanceolate to oblanceolate +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
dull +  and glossy +
papillate +
coalescent +
distinct +
epiphytic;epiphytic;epiphytic +
barrel-shaped +  and spheric +