Xerophyte

Habit

It is a clumping columnar cactus, ultimately forming somewhat open clumps of 5 to 15 (sometime up to 50 or more) stems which can spread out as large as 1 m in size.

Central Spines

2-4 Lower ones terete or nearly so deflexed and flattened 2,5 -3 cm long, up to 1 mm broad, rather weak and flexible. Other centrals straight, weak and flexible, up to 2,5 long, basally about 1 mm in diameter.

Description

Echinocereus engelmannii var. acicularisSN|21818]]SN|7985]] (needle-like) is a morphological or local form of the very variable Echinocereus engelmannii found at the lowest altitudes. It distinguishes for its more robust habit and appears less spiny than Echinocereus engelmannii var. chrysocentrus. In its extreme form this variety has only 1 or 2 central spines, but plants with spines intermediate with var. chrysocentrus occur near the western and southern margins of the Sonoyta region.

Phenology

Spring (February to April), flowers are diurnal close at night and reopen in the morning and last for about five days.

Flowers

Bright pink flowers (Often varying from paler to darker in same population) but some varieties have different colours, from purple to lavender. The flowers are up to 7 cm in diameter, 5-13 cm long . Flower tube hairy. Anthers yellow, Stigma green in the centre.

Chromosome Number

Echinocereus engelmannii is tetraploid 2n = 44 (whereas the related Echinocereus nicholiiSN|7985]]SN|21818]] is diploid 2n = 22)

Spines

Pinkish or yellowish; lower central like the others.

Ribs

11 to 14 low obtuse, tubercles indistinct, crests slightly undulate.

Stem

Mostly erect light green, cylindrical or somewhat tapering distally, usually 15-20 cm tall, but sometime up to 60 cm and about 5 cm diameter, branching freely from the base;

Radial Spines

8 to 20 (or more) mm long .

Fruits

Red or orangish 2,5-4 cm long, spherical, fleshy, pulp whitish be-coming infused with pink or red from the skin. Spine clusters deciduous. The fruit is edible (if you can reach through the spines). It is said to taste like strawberry, and is eaten readily by birds and rodents. Fruiting May-Jul.

Areoles

Usually with wool present in first year only.