Sclerocactus glaucus

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Sclerocactus glaucus
Sclerocactus glaucus fh 29 41 COL B.jpg
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Sclerocactus
Species:
S. glaucus
Binomial name
Sclerocactus glaucus
(K.Schumann) L.D.Benson

Sclerocactus glaucus is a rare species of cactus known by the common name Colorado hookless cactus. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is known only from the area between Grand Junction and Montrose. [3] It is a federally listed threatened species.

The description of this species formerly included plants now belonging to Sclerocactus brevispinus and Sclerocactus wetlandicus , two cacti endemic to Utah. When the second of the two species was separated in 1994, the name S. glaucus was applied only to plants found in Colorado; it made the common name Uinta Basin hookless cactus a misnomer, because now this species does not occur in the Uinta Basin of Utah. [4] The two new species retained their federally threatened status, which they had received while members of S. glaucus. [5] Sources vary in whether they recognize the separation of these species from S. glaucus; Anderson (2001) does not. [6]

This cactus is cylindrical in shape and measures up to 28 centimeters tall by 9 wide, though it is usually much shorter. [3] During the dry season it may shrink so much it disappears beneath the soil surface. [1] There are up to 12 white radial spines on each of its areoles, and several straight whitish, reddish, or black central spines pointing in various directions. The central spines may be 1 to 2 centimeters long or more. The fragrant funnel- or bell-shaped flower is up to 5 or 6 centimeters long and has pink tepals. The stamens have white or green filaments and yellow anthers. The fruit is barrel-shaped and up to 2 or 3 centimeters in length. [3]

This plant grows on exposed stretches of gravelly clay, including alluvial benches above floodplains and on mesa slopes. Nearby rivers include the Green, Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. [7] It is part of saltbush and sagebrush-dominated desert shrub plant communities, or pinyon-juniper woodlands. Other plants in the habitat include shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia), galleta (Hilaria jamesii), black sagebrush (Artemisia nova), Indian rice grass (Stipa hymenoides), strawberry hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. melanacanthus), Simpson's pincushion cactus (Pediocactus simpsonii), prickly pear cactus (Opuntia polyacantha), winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), yucca (Yucca harrimaniae), snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), low rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus), sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), and Salina wildrye (Leymus salinus). [1]

This cactus faces a number of threats. Almost all of the populations are threatened by habitat loss and degradation due to human activities such as hydrocarbon exploration, residential development, rock mining, and the introduction of livestock to the area. It has been affected by the TransColorado Pipeline. The petroleum industry is expected to attract a large population to this rural area. [8] Poaching is also a problem. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ferocactus</i> Genus of cacti

Ferocactus is a genus of large barrel-shaped cacti, mostly with large spines and small flowers. There are about 30 species included in the genus. They are found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

<i>Sclerocactus</i> Genus of cacti

Sclerocactus is a genus of cacti. It comprises about 15 species, the exact number depending on the authority. These species are very xerophytic. They are sometimes called 'fishhook cactus' or 'little barrels.'

<i>Sclerocactus brevihamatus</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus brevihamatus is a species of cactus known by the common name shorthook fishhook cactus.

<i>Echinocereus viridiflorus</i> Species of cactus

Echinocereus viridiflorus is a species of cactus known by the common names nylon hedgehog cactus, green pitaya, and small-flowered hedgehog cactus. It is native to the central and south-central United States and northern Mexico, where it can be found in varied habitat types, including desert scrub, woodlands, dry grasslands, and short-grass prairie.

<i>Echinomastus mariposensis</i> Species of cactus

Echinomastus mariposensis is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Lloyd's fishhook cactus, golfball cactus, silver column cactus, and Mariposa cactus. It is native to a small section of territory straddling the border between Brewster County, Texas, in the United States and the state of Coahuila in Mexico. It has been federally listed as a threatened species in the United States since 1979.

<i>Eriogonum pelinophilum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum pelinophilum is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common name clay-loving wild buckwheat. It is endemic to the state of Colorado in the United States, where it is known from only two counties. The most recent estimates available suggest there are 12 occurrences in existence for a total of about 278,000 individual plants in Delta and Montrose Counties. At least 7 occurrences observed in the past have not been relocated but are not yet believed extirpated. This plant is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<i>Pediocactus sileri</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus sileri is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Siler's pincushion cactus and gypsum cactus. It is native to southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona in the United States. It is limited to a specific type of soil, individuals are often spaced far apart, and the species is threatened by a number of human activities such as off-road vehicle use, poaching, and uranium mining. This is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Pediocactus bradyi</i> Endangered species of cactus

Pediocactus bradyi is a very rare species of cactus known by the common names Brady's pincushion cactus, Brady's hedgehog cactus, and Marble Canyon cactus. It is endemic to Arizona in the US, where it is restricted to Marble Canyon in Coconino County, though its exact distribution is not generally advertised due to poaching concerns. It is limited to a specific type of soil, it has a small distribution, and the species is threatened by a number of human activities. This has been a federally listed endangered species of the United States since 1979.

<i>Pediocactus knowltonii</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus knowltonii is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Knowlton's miniature cactus, Knowlton's pincushion cactus, and Knowlton's minute cactus.

<i>Pediocactus peeblesianus</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus peeblesianus is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Navajo pincushion cactus. It is endemic to the state of Arizona in the United States. The species is named after the Arizona botanist Robert Hibbs Peebles.

<i>Phacelia argillacea</i> Species of plant

Phacelia argillacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names clay phacelia and Atwood's phacelia. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from one canyon in Utah County. It is "one of Utah's most endangered species"; it is "one of the nation's rarest plants" and is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<i>Schoenocrambe argillacea</i>

Schoenocrambe argillacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names clay reed-mustard, Uinta Basin plainsmustard, and clay thelypody.

<i>Glaucocarpum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Glaucocarpum is a monotypic plant genus containing the single species Glaucocarpum suffrutescens, a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names toad-flax cress, shrubby reed-mustard, Uinta Basin waxfruit and waxfruit mustard. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from Duchesne and Uintah Counties. It is threatened by habitat degradation and destruction. It is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<i>Sclerocactus brevispinus</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus brevispinus is a rare species of cactus known by the common name Pariette cactus. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from the Pariette Draw, a draw in Duchesne County. It is threatened by a number of processes and human activities.

<i>Sclerocactus wetlandicus</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus wetlandicus is a rare species of cactus known by the common name Uinta Basin hookless cactus. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from the Uinta Basin. It may also be called the Pariette cactus, but this name is more appropriate for Sclerocactus brevispinus, the species endemic to the Pariette Draw of Duchesne County.

<i>Phacelia submutica</i> Species of flowering plant

Phacelia submutica is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name De Beque phacelia. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is limited to the Piceance Basin in two counties. It is threatened by petroleum exploration. It was federally listed as a threatened species of the United States on July 27, 2011, a ruling which took effect on August 26, 2011.

<i>Townsendia aprica</i> Species of flowering plant

Townsendia aprica is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Last Chance Townsend daisy. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known from three counties. It faces a number of threats and it is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Sclerocactus sileri</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus sileri, the Siler fishhook cactus, is a rare and very small cactus found mostly in mineral-rich desert areas of intermediate elevations, notably in the American states of Utah, Nevada, and northern Arizona.

<i>Pediocactus paradinei</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus paradinei, also known as bristly plains cactus, Houserock Valley cactus, Kaibab pincushion cactus, Paradine cactus, and Park pincushion cactus is a rare species of cactus found in Arizona.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 NatureServe (2024). "Sclerocactus glaucus". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. 1 2 3 Sclerocactus glaucus. Flora of North America.
  4. ↑ USFWS. Taxonomic Change of Sclerocactus glaucus to Three Separate Species. Federal Register September 15, 2009.
  5. ↑ USFWS. 12-month Finding on a Petition To List Sclerocactus brevispinus (Pariette cactus) as an Endangered or Threatened Species; Taxonomic Change From Sclerocactus glaucus to Sclerocactus brevispinus, S. glaucus, and S. wetlandicus. Federal Register September 18, 2007.
  6. ↑ Anderson, Edward F. (2001). The Cactus Family. Pentland, Oregon: Timber Press. ISBN   978-0-88192-498-5. p. 626
  7. ↑ Sclerocactus glaucus. Archived 2011-10-26 at the Wayback Machine Center for Plant Conservation.
  8. ↑ USFW. Sclerocactus glaucus Five-year Review. March 2008.
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