Sclerocactus wrightiae

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Sclerocactus wrightiae
Sclerocactus wrightiae fh 69 7 UT in cultur B.jpg
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
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S. wrightiae
Binomial name
Sclerocactus wrightiae

Sclerocactus wrightiae is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Wright's little barrel cactus [1] and Wright's fishhook cactus. [2]

Contents

Dr. Lyman Benson named this species for North American cactus expert Dorde Wright Woodruff, who initially discovered it in 1961 and brought it to the attention of Dr. Benson. [3] Dr. Benson and Ms. Woodruff later collaborated in connection with other Sclerocactus taxa in the Intermountain West.

Distribution

It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from Emery, Sevier, Wayne, and Garfield Counties. [4] It occurs at Capitol Reef National Park [4] and the San Rafael Swell. [5] It is numerous threats and is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States (listed under the Endangered Species Act on October 11, 1979).

This plant grows in shrublands on a specific type of soil. It is usually fine or sandy in texture and there is a large amount of material scattered on the land, including pebbles, gravel, and fossil oyster shells. An important component of the substrate is the cryptobiotic crust that lies on top. The cactus is absent from areas where this crust has been destroyed. [4]

Description

Sclerocactus wrightiae has stems 4–12 cm tall that are depressed-hemispheric to obovoid to short-cylindric (but not becoming tall-cylindric). Flowers are 2 to 3.5 cm long, yellowish to white or pink. Filaments are red-violet. Flower buds are reddish-brown and rounded prior to anthesis and elongating and becoming pointed just prior to flowering as with other smaller species of Scerocactus. [6]

Conservation

Threats to the species include damage to the habitat during hydrocarbon exploration and the mining of coal, gypsum, bentonite and bentonite clay, uranium, vanadium, building stone and gravel. Livestock activity, such as trampling and uprooting of plants, may be a threat. Off-road vehicle use causes damage. Poaching is also a significant problem. The cactus also suffers from natural predation by the beetle Moneilema semipunctatum which has been exacerbated by climate change.

Small mammals such as Ord's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) and White-tailed antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus) may eat the cactus. [4]

Related Research Articles

<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>Pediocactus winkleri</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus winkleri, commonly known as Winkler's cactus or Winkler's pincushion cactus, is a small cactus endemic to the state of Utah in the United States. It is known only from Emery and Wayne Counties.

<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>Echinomastus johnsonii</i> Species of cactus

Echinomastus 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, 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 polyancistrus</i> Species of cactus

Sclerocactus polyancistrus is a species of cactus known by several common names, including redspined fishhook cactus, Mojave fishhook cactus, pineapple cactus, and hermit cactus.

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

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

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

Sclerocactus mesae-verde, Mesa Verde cactus or Mesa Verde fishhook cactus, is a species of cactus in the Sclerocactus genus occurring in habitat at 4000–5000 ft. only in Colorado and New Mexico in the Four Corners region, United States. This species was discovered near Cortez and Mesa Verde by Charles H. Boissevain, and is the only known population group in Colorado. Sclerocactus mesae-verde was formerly classified in the monotypic genus Coloradoa.

<i>Coryphantha ramillosa</i> Species of cactus

Coryphantha ramillosa is a rare species of cactus known by the common names bunched cory cactus and whiskerbush. It is native to the border region between Texas in the United States and Coahuila in Mexico. Because it was believed to be rare and threatened by a number of processes, it was federally listed as a threatened species of the United States in 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>Pediocactus despainii</i> Species of cactus

Pediocactus despainii is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Despain's cactus and San Rafael cactus. It is endemic to the state of Utah in the United States, where it is limited to the San Rafael Swell in Emery County, Utah.

<i>Pilosocereus robinii</i> Species of cactus

Pilosocereus robinii is a species of cactus known by the common name Key tree-cactus. It is native to the Florida Keys in the United States. It also occurs in Western Cuba and the Northern Bahamas. It has been erroneously reported from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Mexico. It is a rare species which is threatened by the loss of its habitat. It is a federally listed 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 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 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>Townsendia aprica</i>

Townsendia aprica is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family 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 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.

Echinomastus erectocentrus is a species 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 and New Mexico 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 fishhook cactus, is a species of cactus native to northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado. It is rare and listed as federally endangered.

References

  1. Van Buren R, Cooper JG, Shultz LM, Harper KT. 2011. Woody Plants of Utah: A Field Guide with Identification Keys to Native and Naturalized Trees, Shrubs, Cacti, and Vines. Logan: Utah State University Press. 513 pp.
  2. "Sclerocactus wrightiae". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA . Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  3. Benson LD. 1966. A review of Sclerocactus. Cactus and Succulent Journal 38(2):55-57.
  4. 1 2 3 4 USFWS. Sclerocactus wrightiae Five-year Review. August 2008.
  5. Sclerocactus wrightiae. Flora of North America.
  6. Utah Native Plant Society. 2003-2015 [cited August 19, 2015]. Utah rare plant guide. [Internet]. Frates AJ, editor/coordinator. Salt Lake City, UT: Utah Native Plant Society. Available from: http://www.utahrareplants.org