Echinocereus coccineus

Echinocereus coccineus
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
	; Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Echinocereus
Species:	E. coccineus
Binomial name
	Echinocereus coccineus; Engelm.
Synonyms
	Cereus aggregatus J.M.Coult.; Cereus coccineus (Engelm.) Engelm.; Cereus phoeniceus Engelm.; Echinocereus aggregatus Rydb.; Echinocereus coccineus subsp. aggregatus W.Blum, Mich.Lange & Rutow; Echinocereus phoeniceus (Engelm.) Lem.; Echinocereus triglochidiatus subsp. coccineus (Engelm.) U.Guzmán; Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. coccineus (Engelm.) W.T.Marshall & T.M.Bock;

Echinocereus coccineus (scarlet hedgehog cactus) is a species of hedgehog cactus. Its native to Northern and Central America. It grows on full sun, in sandy or rocky well-drained soil. It can survive in hardiness zones 8–11.

Description

The usually branched plant forms small mounds that consist of a around 30 stem clumps and can reach a diameter of up to one meter. The light green plant body is egg-shaped to cylindrical and reaches heights of up to 40 centimeters with a diameter of 2.5 to 5 centimeters. The 11 to 14 ribs often form warts. The spines are yellow to blackish red. The 4 to 7 central spines, which can also be missing, have an angular cross section and are up to 7 centimeters long. The middle one is often flattened. The 5 to 20 radial spines are round at the base 1-4 cm long. It blooms in late spring to early summer. The flowers are usually red, yellow, pink, purple or white. The broad, funnel-shaped, orange-red flowers appear below the shoot tip and are sometimes dioecious. They are 3 to 10 centimeters long and have a diameter of 2.5 to 8 centimeters. After blooms, it has edible spherical fruits turn red and have falling thorns.^[3] Chromosome count is 4n=22.^[4]

Plant
Flower

Subspecies

Accepted subspecies:^[5]

Image	Name	Distribution
	Echinocereus coccineus subsp. coccineus	Colorado to New Mexico.
	Echinocereus coccineus subsp. paucispinus (Engelm.) W.Blum, Mich.Lange & Rutow	W. Texas to Mexico (N. Coahuila)
	Echinocereus coccineus subsp. roemeri (Muehlenpf.) W.Blum, Mich.Lange & Rutow	Texas.
	Echinocereus coccineus subsp. rosei (Wooton & Standl.) W.Blum & Rutow	S. Central U.S.A. to NE. Mexico
	Echinocereus coccineus subsp. transpecosensis W.Blum, Oldach & J.Oldach	S. Central U.S.A. to NE. Mexico.

Distribution

Echinocereus coccineus is distributed in the southern US states of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas, as well as south through the Sonoran Desert to the Mexican states of Coahuila and Chihuahua at elevations of 685 to 1775 meters.^[6]

Plant growing in Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area
Plant growing in Doña Ana County, New Mexico
Plant growing in Davis Mountains, Texas

Taxonomy

The first description by George Engelmann was published in 1848. The specific epithet coccineus comes from Latin, means 'dark red' and refers to the color of the flowers of the species.^[7] Echinocereus coccineus is closely related to Echinocereus triglochidiatus. Many hybrids between species are known.

Nomenclature synonyms are Cereus coccineus (Engelm.) Engelm. (1848, nom. illegal ICBN article 53.1), Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. coccineus (Engelm.) W.T.Marshall (1941) and Echinocereus triglochidiatus subsp. coccineus (Engelm.) U.Guzmán (2003).

References

^ Terry, M.; Heil, K.; Gómez-Hinostrosa, C.; Corral-Díaz, R. (2017) [amended version of 2013 assessment]. "Echinocereus coccineus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T152312A121468948. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T152312A121468948.en. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
^ NatureServe (2023). "Echinocereus coccineus". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
^ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. pp. 194–195. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.
^ Baker, M. (2006). "A new florally dimorphic hexaploid, Echinocereus yavapaiensis sp. nov. (section Triglochidiatus, Cactaceae) from central Arizona". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 258 (1–2): 63–83. doi:10.1007/s00606-005-0390-9. ISSN 0378-2697.
^ "Echinocereus coccineus Engelm". Plants of the World Online. 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
^ "A New Taxon of Echinocereus in Arizona" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-07-12.
^ Wislizenus, F. A. (1848). Memoir of a tour to northern Mexico :connected with Col. Doniphan's expedition, in 1846 and 1847 /by A. Wislizenus. Washington: Tippin & Streeper. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.41509.

External links

Media related to Echinocereus coccineus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Echinocereus coccineus at Wikispecies

https://www.gardenia.net/plant/echinocereus-coccineus

[1] Terry, M.; Heil, K.; Gómez-Hinostrosa, C.; Corral-Díaz, R. (2017) [amended version of 2013 assessment]. "Echinocereus coccineus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T152312A121468948. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T152312A121468948.en. Retrieved 10 May 2023.

[NatureServe-2] NatureServe (2023). "Echinocereus coccineus". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 23 December 2023.

[Anderson_Eggli_2005_p._194–195-3] Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. pp. 194–195. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.

[q545-4] Baker, M. (2006). "A new florally dimorphic hexaploid, Echinocereus yavapaiensis sp. nov. (section Triglochidiatus, Cactaceae) from central Arizona". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 258 (1–2): 63–83. doi:10.1007/s00606-005-0390-9. ISSN 0378-2697.

[Plants_of_the_World_Online_2020_h360-5] "Echinocereus coccineus Engelm". Plants of the World Online. 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-05.

[z375-6] "A New Taxon of Echinocereus in Arizona" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-07-12.

[Wislizenus_1848_p.-7] Wislizenus, F. A. (1848). Memoir of a tour to northern Mexico :connected with Col. Doniphan's expedition, in 1846 and 1847 /by A. Wislizenus. Washington: Tippin & Streeper. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.41509.

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