About Echinocereus polyacanthus Engelm.
Echinocereus polyacanthus Engelm. is a cactus that grows either alone or in clusters, often forming groups or cushions that can contain up to 400 individual shoots. The shoots are cylindrical, bright to dark green, and taper at both the base and the tip. They range from 10 to 30 centimeters long, and between 2 and 7.5 centimeters (0.79 to 2.95 inches) in diameter. The shoots have nine to 13 ribs that are either smooth or tuberous. Each plant produces one to seven central spines that are brown or yellow-brown, thickened at the base, and up to 5 centimeters (2.0 inches) long, with variable length. There are also six to 14 overlapping, dirty white radial spines, each up to 2 centimeters (0.79 inches) long. The flowers of Echinocereus polyacanthus are tubular to funnel-shaped, colored from bright pinkish-orange to deep red, with a yellowish or whitish throat. They grow near the tips of the shoots, and measure 3 to 14 centimeters (1.2 to 5.5 inches) long and 2 to 8 centimeters (0.79 to 3.15 inches) in diameter. The fruits are green and egg-shaped, with white flesh, and do not tear when mature. This species is distributed in Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. In Mexico, it ranges through Chihuahua, Durango, Cosihuiriachi, the Sierra Madre Occidental in eastern Sonora, and the Baja California peninsula. It grows on rocky outcrops at elevations between 1,300 and 2,000 meters (4,300 and 6,600 feet).
