Ferocactus emoryi

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Ferocactus emoryi
Saguaro National Park 1989 12.jpg
Ferocactus emoryi in Saguaro National Park
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Ferocactus
Species:
F. emoryi
Binomial name
Ferocactus emoryi
Synonyms
  • Echinocactus emoryi Engelm. 1856
  • Ferocactus rectispinus
  • Echinocactus covillei (Britton & Rose) A. Berger 1929
  • Ferocactus covillei Britton & Rose 1922

Ferocactus emoryi, known commonly as Emory's barrel cactus, Coville's barrel cactus and traveler's friend, is a barrel cactus in the genus Ferocactus .

Contents

Description

Ferocactus emoryi is spherical or cylindrical solitary barrel cactus, light green to glaucous, reaching a diameter of 60–100 centimetres (24–39 in) and a height of 2–2.5 metres (6 ft 7 in – 8 ft 2 in). It has 15 to 30 ribs with tubercles, especially in the juvenile stage. The spines are white to reddish. The central spine is very strong, 4–10 cm long, while the seven to twelve radial spines reach lengths of up to 6 cm. The large and funnel-shaped flowers are usually red or yellow, reach lengths of up to 7.5 centimeters and have a diameter of 5 to 7 centimeters. The fruit is ovoidal, about 5 cm long. The subspecies F. e. subsp. rectispinus has been found with center spines as much as 25 cm (9.8 in) long, [2] to even 32 cm (13 in). [3] These are the longest spines of any cactus.[ citation needed ]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are accepted: [4]

ImageScientific nameDistribution
Ferocactus emoryi 0zz.jpg Ferocactus emoryi subsp. emoryiArizona to Mexico (Sonora)
Ferocactusrectispinus.jpg Ferocactus emoryi subsp. rectispinus(Engelm.) N.P.TaylorNE. Mexico (to Chihuahua)
Ferocactus covillei 1.jpg Ferocactus emoryi subsp. covillei(Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt & DimmittArizona to Mexico (N. Sonora)


Distribution

This species is found in nature in Mexico in the states of Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur and in the United States in Arizona in Yuma, Pima and Maricopa counties. Ferocactus emoryi grows in the desert scrubs, hillsides, rocky slopes and gravely rocky or sandy soils, at an elevation from 0–1,200 metres (0–3,937 ft). [5]

Taxonomy

The species was first described as Echinocactus emoryi in 1848 by George Engelmann who named the plant after American Major William Hemsley Emory, who was responsible for the surveying work on the Mexican border from 1850 to 1854. Charles Russell Orcutt placed the species in the genus Ferocactus in 1926. [6]

References

  1. ↑ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  2. ↑ Lindsay, George (March–April 1976). "Baja California Revisited - Part II". Cactus and Succulent Journal. 48 (2): 57.
  3. ↑ coulter, Dr. John M. (1896). "Preliminary Revision of North American species of Echinocactus, Cereus and Opuntia". Contrib. U.S. National Herbarium. 3: 362.
  4. ↑ "Ferocactus emoryi (Engelm.) Orcutt". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  5. ↑ Art, Cactus (2013-08-04). "Ferocactus emoryi". LLIFLE. Retrieved 2026-01-04. Creative Commons by-sa small.svg  This article incorporates textfrom this source, which is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
  6. ↑ Eggli, Urs; Newton, Leonard E. (2010-11-30). Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names. Berlin, [Germany] ; Heidelberg, [Germany]: Springer. p. 76. ISBN   978-3-642-05597-3.
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