146 Types of Echinocereus Cacti [With Pictures]

If you love small cacti around your house and balcony, you ought to get the Echinocereus cacti home. They are distinguished by tall spines and cylindrical shapes. They are petite, pretty and easy to maintain. Their showy flowers make them all the more endearing.

Types of Echinocereus

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Related Post:
1,000 Types of Cacti With Pictures

How Do You Take Care of Echinocereus?

If you are a beginner in gardening and want to grow a cactus that is not too high in maintenance, this is the ideal choice for you. These cacti grow slowly but tend to have a long life if you get the basics right.

So, how do you take care of Echinocereus cacti? Are there any special tips that you need to follow? Keep reading to find out!

Light

Echinocereus need bright light to grow well. This is why it matters a great deal where you place the plant. Mostly, placing it near a balcony that receives bright sunlight will be ideal.

If you place it in a damp place, chances are it won’t bloom to its full potential and even shrivel and wither away. Flowering is also difficult if the plant does not get ample sunlight. These plants can withstand slightly cold weather but they prefer warm temperatures.

Watering

Echinocereus do not need heavy watering. A good indication of when the plant needs to be watered is when the top layer appears crusty and dry. On average, watering the cactus once every two weeks in the summer season and once a month during the winter season should suffice.

If you live in a humid area, you need to water the plant even lesser. Overwatering should be avoided at all costs because it will damage the plant irreversibly.

Soil

Echinocereus do well in well-drained soil. A cactus mix works well for these plants. You can find these in any nursery easily or even online. If you have other cactus plants at your home, you can even use that soil for the Echinocereus plants, provided the soil is well-drained.

Fertilizing

The summer seasons are ideal for spraying the plants with cactus fertilizers. This can aid the blooming of flowers and also lead to faster plant growth. You should avoid something that is heavily concentrated and instead use a diluted fertilizer for best results.

A steady supply of light fertilizer periodically is the best way to keep these plants healthy and strong. You don’t have to go overboard and get a strong fertilizer. It won’t make any difference to the plant.

Pests and Diseases

Scale insects and mealybugs are common in Echinocereus plants. The good thing is that these bugs can be easily dealt with. Repotting the plant periodically (0nce a year works well), avoiding overwatering it and spraying it with a natural insecticide such as neem oil is going to keep it free from pests and diseases.

How to Propagate Echinocereus?

Echinocereus is an easy-to-grow plant and is also incredibly beautiful to look at. It works for both plant connoisseurs and those who are just warming up to gardening. It can also be propagated easily using a few simple steps.

Using Stem

Stems are most commonly used to propagate these plants. It is easy to do and very popular among professionals and those who do gardening on the side. Here is what you need to do:

• Remove a small stem from a fully mature Echinocereus plant.
• Let it air dry for some time so that it rids itself of moisture.
• Now take the stem and repot it in a well-drained cacti mix.
• Spray with well-diluted fertilizer and place the plant in an area that receives bright sunlight.
• Within a few days, you will see it bloom.

Using Seed

Some people also use seeds to propagate Echinocereus plants. All you need to do is to get some seeds from a nursery or an online store and sprinkle them over a well-drained potting mix. You need to keep the soil slightly damp and moist to allow the plant good conditions to germinate.

If you do everything right, you should see the plant come to life within two weeks.

While propagating, you need to remember that these plants are shallow-rooted and therefore, should be treated as such. If you bury them too deep, it can lead to rot and damage to the plant.

Also, you need to repot the Echinocereus plant once every year. This keeps the roots strong and sturdy and ensures that the plant grows to its full potential.

How Do You Pronounce Echinocereus?

Echinocereus are beautiful but it comes across as a tongue twister that most people struggle with. If you are one of them, do not worry, you are not alone and many plant connoisseurs also struggle to pronounce it correctly.

The right pronunciation for Echinocereus that you need to familiarize yourself with can be heard here:

Echinocereus Species and Varieties

Echinocereus acanthosetus

Generally slowly clumping geophytic cacti. During drought time this species shrinks into the ground. It has stems that are 2 to 4cm thick with 9 ribs usually and 5 to 8 flailing hairlike spines. The flowers are magenta to white.

Echinocereus adustus

Echinocereus adustus is usually solitary, has 0-1 central spine, ± 8 radials, and flowers only to 5 cm in diameter.

Echinocereus adustus subsp. schwarzii

Echinocereus adustus subs. schwarzii is a remarkable large-flowered variety closely related to Echinocereus adustus. It has more central spines (1-5), as many as 15 radials, and flowers up to 8 cm long and 7 cm in diameter.

Echinocereus arizonicus

Echinocereus arizonicus has deep red to bright orange-red flowers, sometimes with a lighter yellowish-green center.

Echinocereus arizonicus subsp. matudae

Echinocereus arizonicus subsp. matudae is a large tufted Echinocereus branching from the base, possibly one of the largest among the species of this genus. It is a local or morphological form of Echinocereus coccineus (Mexican Claret Cup), distinguished from the type by its somewhat larger stem, up to 50 cm tall, and 12 cm in diameter.

In addition to its large size, this plant is characterized by a reduced number of ribs with fewer short, thick spines. Echinocereus matudae, is generally included within (as a synonym of) Echinocereus coccineus, suggesting that there is not really a fundamental difference between the two, but it still has a value for a collector because they identify plants with particular characters.

Echinocereus armatus

This cactus has large, pretty pink flowers with a clearer often greenish center. It has 1 or 2 sharpen, light brown, darkly tipped spines.

Echinocereus barthelowanus

Echinocereus barthelowanus is a fiercely spined cactus with stems always growing in clusters and forming large cushions up to 80 cm wide. The branches are attached to each other with such fragile connections that a compact cluster will fall to pieces in handling, and often larger clusters are thought to be groups of seedlings rather than single branched plants. Echinocereus barthelowanus is a poorly known cactus.

Echinocereus bonkerae

Echinocereus bonkerae subsp. apachensis

Echinocereus bonkerae subsp. apachensis is a morphological or hybrid form of Echinocereus bonkerae found at the lowest altitude for the species. It distinguishes for its taller stems and unusually long (longer than 10 cm) flexible spines.

Most wild plants have their central spines shorter (like in standard Echinocereus bonkerae), while some have stiffer and thicker spines. Plants usually have several brown or straw-yellow central spines with other spines white, but some plants are pure white. It is a particularly beautiful plant in flower. Flowers are crimson in color with darker throats.

Echinocereus brandegeei

Echinocereus brandegeei is a variable cactus. The stems always grow in clusters, which vary from a few stems to great loose mounds more than 2 m across and less than 35 cm tall. The spines are even more variable.

Echinocereus bristolii

Echinocereus bristolii is a compact species very similar in its general habit to Echinocereus reichenbachii, but with much larger flowers and somewhat larger stems covered in thin white spines with dark tips.

Echinocereus canus

Echinocereus canus is a remarkable white-spined cactus. It is one of the few green-flowered cacti, and usually produces solitary stems covered with mostly white spines and its shaggy appearance resulting from spreading central spines. The juvenile stage, with long, white, hair-like spines in horizontal bands around the stem, is considered characteristic.

Echinocereus carmenensis

Echinocereus carmenensis (a.k.a. chocolate-scented hedgehog) is one of the innumerable local forms of the very variable Echinocereus viridiflorus that distinguishes for the stocky body covered by tight yellowish pectinate spines and for its very peculiar chocolate-scented flowers. The yellowish-white spines are produced only when plants attain a height of 2-3 cm. Bases of older plants often show belts of white wool, with typical spines above. But not all seedlings show this hairy phase.

Echinocereus chloranthus

Echinocereus chloranthus is somewhat like Echinocereus viridiflorus, having similar small flowers. It is usually more elongated, with a bristly appearance, horizontal color banding, longer and curved lower central spines and with the flowers appearing lower down on the plant, generally below the middle. At a first glance, if not in flower, it may be confused with Echinocereus dasyacanthus.

Echinocereus chloranthus subsp. rhyolithensis

Echinocereus chloranthus subsp. rhyolithensis is a bristly red-spined plant from New Mexico.

Echinocereus cinerascens

Echinocereus cinerascens is an open, caespitose cactus that produce masses of bright pink or purple blooms up to 12 cm in diameter which finally produce edible and delicious fruits (tastes similar to strawberries just like Echinocereus engelmannii and Echinocereus stramineus do). It is quite variable.

Echinocereus cinerascens subsp. septentrionalis

Echinocereus cinerascens subs. septentrionalis is one of the subspecies of the wide-ranging and very variable Echinocereus cinerascens. True to its name, it is found in the northern part of the area above 1200 meters and distinguished from the type species by having stems about 6 cm in diameter with 6-8 ribs. The flowers, like in other varieties, are very showy, bright pink or purple up to 12 cm in diameter.

Echinocereus cinerascens subsp. tulensis

Echinocereus cinerascens subsp. tulensis has stems 4-6 cm in diameter with 4-7 ribs.

Echinocereus coccineus

Usually clumping, Echinocereus coccineus forms large colonies of as many as 50-100 (500)-thick stems on each plant at maturity. Stems can vary from almost spineless to wildly and densely spined.

Echinocereus coccineus subsp. paucispinus

Echinocereus coccineus subsp. paucispinus has stems that are about 6 cm thick, with 5 to 8 acute narrowly furrowed ribs that have areoles that are spa ced 0,5 to 1 cm apart. It has 0 or 1 central spine, 1.4 inches long, and 3 to 6 radial spines that are curved and straight. The flower is red with a hint of orange & shaped like a funnel about 5 cm long, having 7 lobes of the stigma.

Echinocereus coccineus subsp. rosei

Echinocereus coccineus subsp. rosei is a simple or clustered species and forms large compact clumps with sometimes as many as 40 stems. This plant is separated from its close relatives by the presence of quite long, white wool in the areoles of the ovary and fruit. The flowers are very showy 4 to 6 cm long, scarlet, but also orange colored or pink.

Echinocereus ctenoides

Echinocereus ctenoides is a cylindrical Echinocereus species very closely related to Echinocereus dasyacanthus and may not be specifically distinct. It differs somewhat in its spines and has a more southern range. The stems are banded with pink and grey as in the rainbow cactus (Echinocereus rigidissimus). The flowers are yellow, orange, or a blend of yellow and orange and very large for the size of the plant.

Echinocereus dasyacanthus

Echinocereus dasyacanthus is a low-growing cactus, unbranched or branching from the base, forming loose clumps of fewer than 20 stiff branches in old age, with its stem completely obscured by a layer of spines that can vary in color depending on growing conditions. On some individuals, each year’s new spines make a distinct band around the plant. The result is a stem with alternating bands of color, vaguely suggesting a rainbow and similar to, but not as bold as, the Arizona Rainbow Cactus (Echinocereus rigidissimus). It is quite variable.

Echinocereus dasyacanthus subsp. rectispinus

Echinocereus dasyacanthus subsp. rectispinus is one of the morphological or local forms of Echinocereus dasyacanthus distinguished by having slightly longer brown, purplish, violet or black central spines.

Echinocereus davisii

Echinocereus davisii is the tiniest Echinocereus species, and one of the smallest cacti in the world, plants are extremely diminutive and mostly subterranean (geophytes), usually do not offset. The diminutive size and the reduced number of ribs (6-10) distinguish E. davisii from all other species of the Echinocereus viridiflorus complex. Moreover, it has no wool on the ovary areoles while the other does.

Echinocereus engelmannii

Echinocereus engelmannii is a highly variable cactus species, sometimes divided into controversial varieties. Spine color polymorphism, common within Echinocereus engelmannii, provided the original basis for varieties chrysocentrus (yell spined form) and purpureus (dark purple spined form). The well-marked, identifiable extremes often occur in populations that include individuals easily assigned to other named varieties, or not assignable to any.

Echinocereus engelmannii subsp. fasciculatus

Echinocereus engelmannii subsp. fasciculatus has grayish central spines that are 2-7.5 cm long.

Echinocereus enneacanthus

Echinocereus enneacanthus is a caespitose cactus forming dense or lax clumps either loose decumbent or erect with 20-100(-500) branches, usually branching before flowering. There appears to be quite a variation in spination, at least in the number and length of spines.

Echinocereus fendleri

Echinocereus fendleri is a wide-ranging and variable species with an indefinite number of geographic races. It is a low-growing, scrubby cactus, that grows solitary or in small clumps with 5 to 20 stems. The classic fendleri form has huge violet-purple flowers and attractive white/black spination. All varieties have large red delicious edible fruits.

Echinocereus fendleri subsp. hempelii

Echinocereus fendleri subsp. hempelii is distinguished for its lack of central spines and the strongly tubercled ribs.

Echinocereus fendleri subsp. kuenzleri

Echinocereus fendleri subsp. rectispinus

Echinocereus fendleri subsp. rectispinus is distinguished by its unusually small spine clusters, with 2-6 radials that are up to 2.5 cm long and no central spine (or rarely one central), thus revealing more of the dark green stem surface. Moreover, the flowers are very showy and comparatively larger ( up to 11 cm in diameter), the maximum flower size for the species, and it is, therefore, one of the most desirable ornamental species in the genus.

Echinocereus fitchii

Echinocereus fitchii has brown central spines, much longer than white radials and large flower, slightly scented, pink-purple with a dark burgundy center.

Echinocereus fitchii subsp. albertii

The black lace cactus, Echinocereus fitchii subsp. albertii, is a small cactus single or branching when old with dense closely pectinate spines. The spines are white to dark dark purple.

Echinocereus fobeanus subsp. metorni

It is a tiny slowly clustering cactus with a quite a large flower for such a small plant. Flowers will be expected in 2-5 (or more) years old seedling when they mature.

Echinocereus grandis

Echinocereus grandis is one of the largest of the upright-stemmed hedgehog cacti, It is solitary, or occasionally branched to form small clusters up to 15 stems, the branches grow from the base. It is not the longest-stemmed, but it is the most massive. The stems sometimes lay down under their own weight. Plants in cultivation often grow for a long time with single solitary columnar stems.

Echinocereus gurneyi

Stems are darker green in color compared to the other varieties, and 10 cm thick. The flowers are orangish-red.

Echinocereus klapperi

Echinocereus klapperi is a very spiny clustering plant that can grow more than 100 heads per clump with beautiful orange/red short tube flowers. It has a whitish appearance due to its spine color.

Echinocereus knippelianus

Echinocereus knippelianus often forms clumps of as many as 50 stems, rarely rising above ground level. The stems are plump green with a big taproot and bristly spines. Pink flowers at the sides.

Echinocereus knippelianus subsp. kruegeri

Echinocereus knippelianus subsp. kruegeri is a miniature form with a fat green body, soft bristly spines, whitish or flesh-colored flowers at center.

Echinocereus koehresianus

Echinocereus koehresianus has a whitish appearance due to its spine color. Its flowers are funnelform on the sides of the stems, 6-10 cm long, huge colorful bright orange-red, with long hairy tube and 9 green stigma lobes.

Echinocereus laui

Echinocereus laui is a small cactus species clustering profusely from the base and forming after some time clumps with up to 20 stems, but the plant remains small. Its flowers are deep pink to clear violet.

Echinocereus longisetus

Echinocereus longisetus has long bristle-like white spines, cylindrical erect stems up to 30 cm long and less than 8 cm in diameter, 17 or fewer ribs.

Echinocereus mapimiensis

Echinocereus mapimiensis is a small offsetting cactus with white and caramel spines and small rusty flowers. It slowly forms open clumps up to 25 cm in diameter.

Echinocereus maritimus

Echinoceres maritimus is a much-branched, mounding cactus, forming colonies of cylindrical stems to 30(-40) cm high and 0.6-2 m wide with as many as 20(-300) stems (joints). In spring it displays its clear yellow flowers to the sun but hides them from the moon.

Echinocereus maritimus subsp. hancockii

Echinocereus maritimus subsp. hancockii is much larger than subspecies maritimus, has larger stems 5.5-7 cm in diameter, much stronger spination and occurs in smaller clumps with as many as 30 stems, but otherwise is quite similar. It grows in great clusters up to over 2 m wide.

Echinocereus nicholii

Echinocereus nicholii, commonly known as the golden hedgehog, is a big, robust plant with extremely long stems that typically curve upright and form large clusters of as many as 30 stems that can reach 60 tall. The stems are thickly clothed with dense golden spines and create an almost chartreuse appearance, the hedge-hog color equivalent of the golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii). The flowers, while small, are pink or pale lavender, and contrast splendidly with the yellow spines.

Echinocereus nivosus

Echinocereus nivosus is a small upright cactus that forms compact mounds. The flowers are large glossy pink to rich purple , with bright green stamens. narrow at the tips of the stems, up to 5cm in diameter.

Echinocereus pacificus

Echinocereus pacificus subsp. mombergerianus

Echinocereus mombergerianus is a caespitose cactus forming large cushions up to 70 cm in diameter, generally with 30-100 (150) individual shoots, branching from the base or side. The dull green stems are covered by yellow-brown spines and showy red flowers are freely produced in spring.

Echinocereus parkeri

Echinocereus parkeri forms crowded mounds with stems distinctly tapering toward the apex, has 7-10 deeply tuberculate ribs and 10-13 radial spines. Its flowers are magenta to deep pink, with white throats.

Echinocereus pectinatus

The rainbow cactus (Echinocereus pectinatus) commonly remains single, but old plants sometimes branch and form a loosely clumped cluster. It has yellow, pinkish or brownish spines loosely pressed to the surface or spreading widely, pectinate, and intertwining with those of the other areoles. It produces very beautiful, brilliantly colored flowers with spiny tubes, which later develop into Gooseberry-like fruits rich in sugar and said to be very delicious.

Echinocereus pentalophus

Echinocereus pentalophus is a mat-forming cactus with many crowded finger-like stems. Established plants can reach a height of 20 cm and a width of 100 cm. It is a very fine sight in bloom, having few equals within the genus Echinocereus.

Echinocereus pentalophus subsp. leonensis

Echinocereus pentalophus subsp. leonensis is a clumping, erected or semiprostrate cactus. It steadily produces secondary growths by means of underground or surface stolons and forms rapidly large clumps. It has erect stems with 6 to 8 ribs and up to 9 spines per areole, and is thicker than the other varieties.

Echinocereus pentalophus subsp. procumbens

Echinocereus pentalophus subsp. procumbens distinguishes from the standard species for its stems that are semi-prostrate, and the thinnest of all the subspecies. Moreover, it stems are deeper green in color, with 4 to 5 ribs, and 5 to 7 spines per areole. It is a very fine sight in bloom, having few equals within the genus Echinocereus.

Echinocereus polyacanthus

Echinocereus polyacanthus is low growing, solitary or clumping cactus, forming large cushions, generally less than 50, but occasionally of several hundred stems. This species is very variable, and the several varieties are so different-looking that the only uniting factor is the bright red bloom and rounded petals.

Echinocereus poselgeri

Echinocereus poselgeri has tall and slender, dark colored stems up to 1.2 m long and 2 cm in diameter. Flowers are pink rose/mauve magenta in color.

Echinocereus primolanatus

Echinocereus primolanatus is a very peculiar species usually solitary. The young plants initially with the stem clothed with very fine and thin hairs. The flowers are up to 9 cm broad, sensationally large for a so small plant, dark pink with purple glimmer and very showy, the tube is densely covered by white felt, scales and bristles. The flowers can last for 4–5 days.

Echinocereus pseudopectinatus

Echinocereus pseudopectinatus is a great favorite in collections particularly priced for its dull pink spines and very showy huge magenta blooms. It is distinguished for its unusually thin, bristlelike spines clothing the flowers and fruits.

Echinocereus pulchellus

Echinocereus pulchellus has stems that are 2.5-5 cm thick with 9 to 12 ribs and 3 to 7 inconspicuous spines per areole. The flowers are pink or white.

Echinocereus reichenbachii

Echinocereus reichenbachii is a slowly branching cylindrical-shaped cactus more or less cespitose with up to 12 branches covered strongly pectinate, appressed truly lacy spines. The flowers are very showy, fragrant, produced in profusion, rather variable as to size, often 6 to 7 cm long and fully as broad, opening during the day, always closing at night and sometimes opening the second day, purple. The basis of flowers is clothed with dense greyish wool.

Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. baileyi

Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. baileyi has no central spine with about 16 interlacing radials spines, that are bristly spreading and variously colored, white, yellowish, fox red, brown or pink. The flowers are funnelform magenta-pink close to the end of the stems of the youngest areoles, which are white and woolly.

Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. caespitosus

Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. caespitosus usually lack central spines and is weakly distinguished from typical “reichenbachii”. A few specimens have 1 or 2 central spines, but in most cases central spines are not present, giving the entire stem surface a uniform, lace spines appearance.

Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. perbellus

Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. perbellus has no central spine, fewer than 20 radials which are variegated, spreading and less pectinate than in E. reichenbachii. It flowers quite readily making this species a very beautiful one at flowering time, which is usually May to June.

Echinocereus rigidissimus

Echinocereus rigidissimus is a low-growing solitary (very rarely few branched) cactus. This species is a great favorite in collections, although it does not last long. It has stems up to 10 cm thick with 15-23 radial pectinated spines per areole that hide the body of the plant. Each year’s growth is differentiated by a differently colored band of spines, hence the common name “Arizona Rainbow”.

Echinocereus rigidissimus subsp. rubispinus

Echinocereus rigidissimus subsp. rubispinus distinguishes for the very short dusty red-purple spines (not pink and white) and dull purple-red (not green) stigma lobes. It is also up to 50% smaller in all its parts. Its blossoms are bright magenta-red and are large and showy in comparison with the small size of the stem. Its unique-looking spination makes it one the best Echinocereus species.

Echinocereus russanthus

Echinocereus russanthus is usually a single-stemmed cactus that may branch and form clusters, some having as many as a dozen. Its spines are interlocking, bristly, typically reddish to brown, and radiating in all directions. Flowers are rust-red, often with darker purplish maroon mid stripes.

Echinocereus russanthus subsp. fiehnii

Echinocereus russanthus subsp. fiehnii distinguishes for its cylindrical body, many white-red spines and very small spiny pale red-yellow flowers which are among the smallest in the species. It blooms quite readily making this species a very interesting one at flowering time, which is usually in Spring.

Echinocereus scheeri

Echinocereus scheeri is a dangling cactus with showy trumped-shaped flowers. It is a widespread polymorphic species showing quite a variation especially in flower size and color, habit and spination. It has stems with 6-10 tuberculate ribs and flowers that are pink, orange or magenta.

Echinocereus scheeri subsp. gentryi

Echinocereus scheeri subsp. gentryi is an odd-looking dangling cactus with spines so short that the stems appear naked and cucumber-like. The trumpet-shaped flowers are pale rose and very showy.

Echinocereus schmollii

Echinocereus schmollii is a small usually solitary or scarcely branched cactus with tuberous roots and thin, limp stems that in the wild need the support of some host bush branches, stem tend to snake around when the plant is cultivated, if not supported with sticks. Its flowers are showy and funnelform pink to magenta near the tips of older stems.

Echinocereus sciurus

Echinocereus sciurus is a densely cespitose cactus species, with numerous short, upright heads covered with slender short spines, with many individuals forming clumps sometimes 60 cm broad. It has flowers 8 cm long and up to 10 cm in expansion when fully open, near the stem tips.

Echinocereus scopulorum

Echinocereus scopulorum is an unbranched cactus with a short cylindric stem and13-19 ribs. Its flowers are interesting: inner tepals purplish pink, darker proximal portion and mid stripes, tips relatively thin and delicate; anthers dark yellow; filaments and throat greenish.

Echinocereus sharpii

Echinocereus sharpii distinguishes for its darker colored stems in comparison to the other subspecies. Bodies are 2 to 6 cm thick with 11 to 17 ribs and 7 to 14 spines per areole. The flowers are magenta or more often white. It blooms quite readily making this species a very interesting one at flowering time, which is usually in Spring.

Echinocereus spinigemmatus

Echinocereus spinigemmatus is a caespitose cactus forming lax clumps of 7-10 stems. They have yellow spination and produce very beautiful pinkish lilac to magenta flowers with spiny tubes.

Echinocereus stolonifer subsp. tayopensis

Echinocereus stolonifer subsp. tayopensis is a clumping plant propagating using underground stolons, that forms large colonies of stems partly obscured by spines. It is characterized by stems ovoid to shortly cylindrical stems that only get up to 15 cm tall and 6-8 cm in diameter, radial spines up to 15 mm long.

Echinocereus stramineus

Echinocereus stramineus is a clumping cactus, forming large, compact colonies with 100 or more stems (occasionally up to 500 heads). These larger clumps are rounded, often 60-90 cm across and nearly as high.

Echinocereus stramineus subsp. conglomeratus

Echinocereus stramineus subsp. conglomeratus is a cespitose erect cactus with long white pellucid spines. It has smaller, more open flowers, smaller fruit, higher rib number and glassy white spines.

Echinocereus subinermis

Echinocereus subinermis is the least armed species of the genus with very short spines and ribs numbering 5-9. It has huge yellow blooms and the floral tube is only slightly woolly.

Echinocereus subinermis subsp. ochoterenae

Echinocereus subinermis subsp. ochoterenae distinguishes for its thick, slightly elongated and always spiny stems. It has about 10 ribs with 1-4 short dark central spines. The flowers are very showy, canary yellow but smaller than in the other varieties of Echinocereus subinermis.

Echinocereus triglochidiatus

In general, Echinocereus triglochidiatus is a mounding cactus, forming bulbous piles of from a few to hundreds of spherical to cylindrical stems. Plants may vary from densely spiny (usually) to no spines at all. Echinocereus triglochidiatus is the most widespread of the Echinocereus species and is also the most variable in appearance. In fact, the several varieties are so different-looking that the only uniting factor is the bright red bloom and rounded petals.

Some subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of Echinocereus triglochidiatus include:

• Echinocereus gonacanthus
• Echinocereus neomexicanus
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus inermis
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus melanacanthus
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus mojavensis
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus octacanthus
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus variegatus
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus White Sands

Echinocereus triglochidiatus subsp. mojavensis

Echinocereus triglochidiatus subsp. mojavensis is an erect cylindrical cactus most readily distinguished by the solitary pale-colored, usually twisted central spine, and is the plant known as the Mojave hedgehog cactus. It is one of the most interesting cacti, that often forms large clumps, more than half a meter in diameter, with more than a hundred heads (but large mounds with 500-800 heads have been reported).

Echinocereus viereckii

Echinocereus viereckii has spines that are rarely longer than 2.5 cm and 6 to 9 tuberculate ribs.

Echinocereus viereckii subsp. morricalii

Echinocereus viereckii subsp. morricalii is a clustering species branching profusely from the base with almost spineless stems.

Echinocereus viridiflorus

With small stems and relatively pure yellow flowers, Echinocereus viridiflorus extends from central New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle to South Dakota.

Echinocereus viridiflorus subsp. correllii

Echinocereus viridiflorus subsp. correllii is a poorly defined, yellow-spined population near Marathon, Texas.

Echinocereus waldeisii

The peculiarity of Echinocereus waldeisii is that it forms only a single stem, that can branch out in age. The stems are clambering through the adjacent vegetation and arise from a tuberous, dahlia-like root-stock.

Echinocereus websterianus

Echinocereus websterianus can grow as many as about 50 stems in a relatively large clump. Plants in cultivation often grow for a long time with single solitary columnar stems. The color of the flowers varies from whitish to pale pink, deep pink or violet, or occasionally yellowish.

Echinocereus weinbergii

Echinocereus weinbergii has stems that are 5 to 15 cm thick with 14 or 15 ribs and 8 to 11 spines per areole. It has a pink diurnal flower. The petals are narrowly acute in shape.