Sclerocactus polyancistrus

(Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow) Britton & Rose

Cact. 3: 213. 1922.

Common names: Mojave eagle-claw cactus hermit cactus pineapple cactus red-spined fishhook cactus
IllustratedEndemic
Basionym: Echinocactus polyancistrus Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 3: 272. 1856
Synonyms: Ferocactus polyancistrus (Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow) N. P. Taylor Pediocactus polyancistrus (Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow) G. Arp
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Mentioned on page 99, 198, 203, 205.

Stems unbranched or in clusters, cylindric or elongate cylindric, 10–40 (–45) × 5–9 cm; ribs 13–17, well developed, tubercles not evident on ribs. Spines dense, obscuring stems; radial spines 10–15 (–18) per areole, white, straight, flat, 20–50 mm, glabrous; central spines 9–12 per areole, 5–8 hooked, others straight, terete to angled; abaxial and lateral central spines 6–8 per areole, red or reddish-brown (rarely yellow), some hooked, (30–) 56–100 × 0.7–1.2 mm; adaxial central spines usually 3 per areole, white, usually curved or twisted, flat, usually 37–86 (–130) × 1.7–3.4 mm. Flowers with spicy, pungent odor, funnelform, 5–10 × 5–9 cm; outer tepals with greenish purple midstripes and rose-purple or magenta margins, cuneate-spatulate, usually 15–30 × 6–9 mm; inner tepals rose-purple to magenta (rarely white), largest tepals ovatelanceolate, 24–45 × 9–12 mm; filaments greenish yellow; anthers cream; style grooved, not papillate. Fruits irregularly dehiscent at base, green, tan, or red, barrel-shaped, 22–50 × 12–25 mm, dry at maturity; scales few, white fringed. Seeds black, 2.7–3.7 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny; testa with fine, rounded papillae.


Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat: Rocky alluvial, often alkaline soils, Mojave desert scrub
Elevation: 500-2500 m

Discussion

Sclerocactus polyancistrus is the only member of the genus that truly lacks papillae on the style, and its style possesses grooves, somewhat reminiscent of Ferocactus. It is easily recognized by its massive stem size (relative to other species of Sclerocactus), large flowers, and numerous hooked central spines (five to nine).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

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

3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5.6 cm56 mm <br />0.056 m <br />) +
5.6 cm56 mm <br />0.056 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
8.6 cm86 mm <br />0.086 m <br /> (13 cm130 mm <br />0.13 m <br />) +
3.7 cm37 mm <br />0.037 m <br /> (8.6 cm86 mm <br />0.086 m <br />) +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (0.34 cm3.4 mm <br />0.0034 m <br />) +
cushionlike +
spine-bearing +
circular to linear +
deciduous +  and persistent +
connected +
5 +  and 8 +
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 +
(Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow) Britton & Rose +
hardened +
Echinocactus polyancistrus +
triangular +
pink +  and purplish-pink or black +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Mojave eagle-claw cactus +, hermit cactus +, pineapple cactus +  and red-spined fishhook cactus +
mucilaginous +
notched +
Calif. +  and Nev. +
500-2500 m +
not separating +
greenish yellow +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
funnel +  and 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 />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
red;tan;red;tan;green +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
barrel--shaped +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
Rocky alluvial, often alkaline soils, Mojave desert scrub +
2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br /> (4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br />) +
ovatelanceolate +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 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 +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
fimbriate +  and entire +
greenish purple +
straight +
terete;angled +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering Apr–Jun. +
mucilaginous +
abscission +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
greenish +  and white +
tuberculate +
fringed +
arillate +  and strophiolate +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.27 cm2.7 mm <br />0.0027 m <br /> (0.37 cm3.7 mm <br />0.0037 m <br />) +
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 />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
straight +
deciduous +  and persistent +
10 (?) +  and 15 (?) +
annulate-ridged +, hairlike +, daggerlike +, subulate +  and acicular +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
hard +  and rigid +
decurrent +
in clusters +  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 +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
cylindric +  and elongate +
succulent +
5cm;9cm +
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 />) +
not papillate +
flat-topped +
tuberculate +
Ferocactus polyancistrus +  and Pediocactus polyancistrus +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Sclerocactus polyancistrus +
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 +