Xerophyte

Central Spines

1, curved slightly to fully hooked, (hooked only on relatively young plants), heavy, roughly cross-ribbed, annulate, thick, adaxially flat, 55-95(-130) long × 2.5-4 mm. in cross section.

Seeds

2 mm. in diameter, black.

Description

F. covillei( = F. emoryi) is a solitary barrel cactus except in case of injury to the growing tip, it lacks the lower radial spines of F. wislizenii and F. acanthodes but has similar heavy, ridged, hooked central spines.

Note

The species name F. covillei was used to indicate the plant originary found in southwestern Arizona, but they are in fact almost identical and not easily distinguishable from F. emoryi to which this plant must be rightly placed.

Flowers

Reddish outside, brilliant red inside, 6-7.5 × 5-7.5 cm; inner tepals brilliant red [or occasionally yellow]; stigma lobes brilliant red.

Spines

6-10 per areole, reddish, reddish grey, or horn colored, all robust and rigid, more than 1 mm diam.;

Ribs

(15-)21-32, shallowly notched immediately above each areole.

Stem

Erect, globular when young to a stout cylinder when older, 30-90(-250) tall × 30-60 (100) cm in diameter; tubercled when young later forming ribs.

Radial Spines

5 to 9 similar to central, spreading, not hooked, 2.5 to 5cm long.

Fruits

Persistent, oblong, scaled, 2,5-5cm long × 25-35 mm long in diameter with the dried remains of the flower atop, ± readily dehiscent through basal pore, bright yellow, 50, leathery or fleshy, locule dry, hollow except for seeds. Often the fruit are broken into and the seed eaten by birds or rodents.

Areoles

oval with brown wool, 2-2.5 cm apart.