Sclerocactus polyancistrus

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Sclerocactus polyancistrus
Sclerocactus polyancistrus in cultur B.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [1]
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. polyancistrus
Binomial name
Sclerocactus polyancistrus
Synonyms [3]
  • Echinocactus polyancistrusEngelm. & J.M.Bigelow
  • Ferocactus polyancistrus(Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow)
  • Pediocactus polyancistrus(Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow)

Sclerocactus polyancistrus, the Mohave fishhook cactus or redspined fishhook cactus, is a species of flowering cactus in the genus Sclerocactus. It is found in the Mojave Desert in the Southwestern United States.

Contents

Description

The Sclerocactus polyancistrus cactus has a cylindrical stem up to 25 centimeters tall by 8 wide. They may grow in clusters. The cactus is densely spiny, each areole has several reddish or white central spines with hooked tips and several more white spines around the edge. [4]

The fragrant flower is up to 10 centimeters wide and may be most any shade of pink or red-violet. The scaly, fleshy fruit is 2 or 3 centimeters long. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Sclerocactus polyancistrus is native to the Mojave Desert in eastern California and southern Nevada. It grows in rocky alluvial (often alkaline) soils and in Mojave desert scrub at elevations of 500–2,500 m (1,600–8,200 ft) above sea level. [4]

Conservation

As of December 2024, the conservation group NatureServe listed Sclerocactus polyancistrus as Vulnerable (G3) worldwide. This status was last reviewed on 30 December 2015. At the state level within the United States, the group assessed this species as Vulnerable (S3) in California and Imperiled (S2) in Nevada. [1]

The IUCN Red List, another conservation group, assessed this species as Least Concern (LC) worldwide. Their assessment was last reviewed on 12 May 2010. [2]

Taxonomy

Sclerocactus polyancistrus was first described by George Engelmann and John Milton Bigelow under the name Echinocactus polyancistrus in 1856. In 1922, Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose moved the species to the genus Sclerocactus, while keeping the specific epithet the same. [3]

Etymology

In English, this species is commonly known as the Mohave fishhook cactus, [2] or redspined fishhook cactus. [5]

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 xerophytic. They are sometimes called 'fishhook cactus' or 'little barrels.'

<i>Ferocactus wislizeni</i> Species of cactus

Ferocactus wislizeni, the fishhook barrel cactus, also called Arizona barrel cactus, candy barrel cactus, and Southwestern barrel cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, native to northern Mexico and the southern United States. It is a ball-shaped cactus eventually growing to a cylindrical shape, with spiny ribs and red or yellow flowers in summer.

<i>Pelecyphora vivipara</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora vivipara is a species of cactus known by several common names, including spinystar, viviparous foxtail cactus, pincushion cactus and ball cactus. It is native to North America, where certain varieties can be found from Mexico to Canada. Most of these varieties are limited to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. The species epithet "vivipara" is due to the species' viviparous reproductive habit.

<i>Echinocactus polycephalus</i> Species of cactus

Echinocactus polycephalus is a cactus that occurs in the Mojave Desert region of Arizona, California, and Nevada. It also occurs in the Sonoran Desert region of southern California and northern Sonora, Mexico.

<i>Cochemiea tetrancistra</i> Species of cactus

Cochemiea tetrancistra is a species of fishhook cactus known by the common name common fishhook cactus. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it grows in a variety of desert habitat types.

<i>Cylindropuntia echinocarpa</i> Species of cactus

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa is a species of cactus known by the common names silver cholla, golden cholla, and Wiggins' cholla. It was formerly named Opuntia echinocarpa.

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

Sclerocactus johnsonii is a species of cactus known by the common names Johnson's beehive cactus and Johnson's fishhook cactus. It is native to the southwestern United States from eastern California to Utah and northwestern Mexico, where it can be found in desert scrub habitat. It produces an egg-shaped or cylindrical stem up to 25 centimetres tall by 10 centimetres wide. It is covered densely in straight and curving spines which may be up to 4 centimetres long and come in shades of yellow, gray, lavender, and pink or red, with up to 24 per areole. The cactus may have yellow or pink flowers; the species is sometimes divided into two varieties on the basis of flower color. Flowers are up to 8 centimetres wide. The scaly, fleshy fruit is up to 1.8 centimetres long.

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

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

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

Sclerocactus mariposensis, synonyms including Echinomastus mariposensis and Neolloydia 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 section of territory straddling the border between Brewster County, Texas, in the United States, and the states of Coahuila and Nuevo León in northeastern Mexico. It has been federally listed as a threatened species in the United States since 1979.

<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>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 glaucus</i> Species of cactus

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. It is a federally listed threatened species.

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

Sclerocactus papyracanthus is a species of cactus known by the common names paperspine fishhook cactus, grama grass cactus, paper-spined cactus, and toumeya. It is native to North America, where it occurs from Arizona to New Mexico to Texas and into Chihuahua, Northeastern Mexico.

Sclerocactus johnsonii subsp. erectocentrus, synonyms including Echinomastus erectocentrus, is a subspecies of cactus, known by the common names redspine fishhook cactus, redspine butterfly cactus, acuña cactus, needle-spine pineapple cactus, red pineapple cactus, and purple-spine viznagita. It is native to Arizona in the United States.

<i>Cochemiea thornberi</i> Species of cactus

Cochemiea thornberi is a species of cactus known by the common names Thornber's fishhook cactus and Thornber's nipple cactus. It is native to Arizona in the United States and Sonora in Mexico.

<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.

Moneilema semipunctatum is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1852. It is known commonly as the cactus borer beetle. Beetles of genus Moneilema are known commonly as cactus longhorn beetles. It is native to North America, where it occurs in the western United States and Mexico.

<i>Sclerocactus mesae-verdae</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus mesae-verdae, the Mesa Verde cactus or Mesa Verde fishhook cactus, is a species of cactus native to northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado. It is known only from Montezuma County (Colorado) and San Juan County. Much of the New Mexico part of the range lies inside land controlled by the Navajo Nation. The Colorado populations lie close to Mesa Verde National Park.

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

Echinocereus relictus is a species of hedgehog cactus commonly known as “purple-spined hedgehog cactus”.

References

  1. 1 2 NatureServe (6 December 2024). "Sclerocactus polyancistrus| NatureServe Explorer". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Butterworth, C.; Porter, J.M. (2010). "Sclerocactus polyancistrus (Mohave Fishhook Cactus)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T151778A121566290. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T151778A121566290.en . Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Sclerocactus polyancistrus (Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow) Britton & Rose | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Sclerocactus polyancistrus- FNA". floranorthamerica.org. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  5. NRCS. "Sclerocactus polyancistrus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 8 November 2015.