Biology:Echinopsis

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Echinopsis is a genus of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. As of November 2025, Plants of the World Online used a broad circumscription of the genus, resulting in about 80 accepted species, ranging from large and treelike types to small globose cacti. The name derives from echinos hedgehog or sea urchin, and opsis appearance, a reference to these plants' dense coverings of spines.

They are remarkable for the great size, length of tube, and beauty of their flowers, borne upon generally small and dumpy stems.

Taxonomy

Studies in the 1970s and 1980s resulted in several formerly separate genera being absorbed into Echinopsis. When very broadly circumscribed, Echinopsis sensu lato included over 100 species.[1] Some genera have been absorbed and then accepted again. For example, the genus name Trichocereus was given to a number of columnar cacti in 1909 by Vincenzo Riccobono. The genus was subsumed into Echinopsis in 1974 by Friedrich, along with Lobivia. In 2011, it was argued that Trichocereus was distinct from Echinopsis,[2] and a 2012 genetic and morphological study by Albesiano found Trichocereus to be monophyletic if it included three species of Harrisia.[3]

A 2012 genetic analysis of chloroplast DNA indicated Echinopsis was made up of several divergent lineages.[4] This was shown again in 2019.[1] It was concluded that previous taxonomic confusion was due to convergent evolution: species in different lineages had evolved to have similar growth and/or to share pollinators.[4]

As of October 2025, Plants of the World Online subsumed Soehrensia, Chamaecereus, Trichocereus, and Lobivia into Echinopsis, resulting in a genus of around 80 species.[5]

Species

Species of Echinopsis accepted by Plants of the World Online as of November 2025:[5]

Image Scientific name Distribution
120px Echinopsis albispinosa K.Schum.
(including E. silvestrii)		 Argentina
120px Echinopsis ancistrophora Speg.
120px Echinopsis angelesiae (R.Kiesling) G.D.Rowley
120px Echinopsis arachnacantha (Buining & F.Ritter) Friedrich
Echinopsis arboricola (Kimnach) Mottram
120px Echinopsis aurea Britton & Rose Argentina
Echinopsis ayopayana F.Ritter & Rausch
120px Echinopsis backebergii Werderm.
Echinopsis breviflora (Backeb.) M.Lowry Argentina (Salta)
120px Echinopsis bridgesii Salm-Dyck
120px Echinopsis bruchii (Britton & Rose) H.Friedrich & Glaetzle
120px Echinopsis caineana (Cárdenas) D.R.Hunt
120px Echinopsis calochlora K.Schum.
(including E. hammerschmidii)		 Bolivia to Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul)
120px Echinopsis calorubra Cárdenas
120px Echinopsis camarguensis (Cárdenas) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
120px Echinopsis candicans (Gillies ex Salm-Dyck) D.R.Hunt
120px Echinopsis cardenasiana (Rausch) Friedrich
Echinopsis caulescens (F.Ritter) M.Lowry
Echinopsis chalaensis (Rauh & Backeb.) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
(sometimes in Trichocereus)		 Peru
120px Echinopsis chamaecereus H.Friedrich & Glaetzle
120px Echinopsis chrysantha Werderm. Argentina
120px Echinopsis chrysochete Werderm.
120px Echinopsis cinnabarina (Hook.) Labour.
120px Echinopsis clavata (F.Ritter) D.R.Hunt
(sometimes in Trichocereus)		 Bolivia
120px Echinopsis crassicaulis (R.Kiesling) H.Friedrich & Glaetzle
120px Echinopsis cuzcoensis (Britton & Rose) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
(sometimes in Trichocereus)		 Peru
120px Echinopsis densispina Werderm. Argentina
120px Echinopsis ferox (Britton & Rose) Backeb.
120px Echinopsis formosa (Pfeiff.) Jacobi ex Salm-Dyck
Echinopsis friedrichii G.D.Rowley
120px Echinopsis haematantha (Speg.) D.R.Hunt Argentina and Bolivia
Echinopsis hahniana (Backeb.) R.S.Wallace
120px Echinopsis hertrichiana (Backeb.) D.R.Hunt
120px Echinopsis huascha (F.A.C.Weber) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
Echinopsis jajoana (Backeb.) Blossf.
(including E. sanguiniflora)		 Argentina
120px Echinopsis lageniformis (C.F.Först.) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
(sometimes in Trichocereus)		 Bolivia
Echinopsis lateritia Gürke
Echinopsis luisramirezii (Lodé & F.Carlier) M.H.J.van der Meer
120px Echinopsis macrogona (Salm-Dyck) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
120px Echinopsis mamillosa Gürke
120px Echinopsis marsoneri Werderm. Bolivia to Argentina (Jujuy, Salta)
120px Echinopsis maximiliana Heyder ex A.Dietr.
Echinopsis minutiflora (Rausch) M.Lowry
120px Echinopsis obrepanda (Salm-Dyck) K.Schum.
Echinopsis oligotricha (Cárdenas) M.Lowry Bolivia
120px Echinopsis oxygona (Link) Zucc. ex Pfeiff. & Otto
(including E. adolfofriedrichii, E. brasiliensis, E. eyriesii, E. tubiflora)		 Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina
Echinopsis pachanoi (Britton & Rose) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
Echinopsis pampana (Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt
Echinopsis pamparuizii Cárdenas
120px Echinopsis pentlandii (Hook.) Salm-Dyck ex A.Dietr.
Echinopsis pereziensis Cárdenas
Echinopsis pugionacantha Rose & Boed.
Echinopsis quadratiumbonata (F.Ritter) D.R.Hunt
Echinopsis rauschii Friedrich Bolivia (Cochabamba)
120px Echinopsis rojasii Cárdenas Bolivia
120px Echinopsis saltensis Speg.
Echinopsis sandiensis Hoxey
Echinopsis schickendantzii F.A.C.Weber
120px Echinopsis schieliana (Backeb.) D.R.Hunt
Echinopsis schreiteri (A.Cast.) Werderm.
Echinopsis serpentina M.Lowry & M.Mend.
Echinopsis smrziana Backeb.
Echinopsis spachiana (Lem.) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
Echinopsis spinibarbis (Otto ex Pfeiff.) A.E.Hoffm.
Echinopsis stilowiana (Backeb.) J.G.Lamb.
Echinopsis strigosa (Salm-Dyck) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
Echinopsis sucrensis Cárdenas
120px Echinopsis tacaquirensis (Vaupel) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley Bolivia
Echinopsis tarijensis (Vaupel) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
120px Echinopsis tegeleriana (Backeb.) D.R.Hunt
Echinopsis thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
Echinopsis thelegonoides (Speg.) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
120px Echinopsis tiegeliana (Wessner) D.R.Hunt
Echinopsis torrefluminensis M.Lowry Bolivia
120px Echinopsis uyupampensis (Backeb.) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
Echinopsis vasquezii (Rausch) G.D.Rowley
Echinopsis volliana (Backeb.) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
Echinopsis walteri (R.Kiesling) H.Friedrich & Glaetzle
120px Echinopsis werdermannii Frič ex Fleisch.
(sometimes in E. oxygona)		 Paraguay
120px Echinopsis yuquina D.R.Hunt

In addition, many hybrids exist, mostly between similar species, such as the cross between Echinopsis pachanoi (formerly Trichocereus macrogonus var. pachanoi) and E. eyriesii (now E. oxygona) which was sold under the name "Trichopsis pachaniesii" by Sacred Succulents.

Distribution

Echinopsis species are native to South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay).[5] They thrive in desert grasslands, shrubland, and in situations where the soil is sandy or gravelly, such as the sides of hills in the crevices of rocks.[6]

Cultivation

File:Echinopsis.ogv

The growing and resting seasons for Echinopsis are the same as for Echinocactus. Research by J. Smith (former Curator at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) showed that species like the Chilean Echinopsis cristata and its Mexican relatives thrive if potted in light loam, with a little leaf mould and a few nodules of limestone. The limestone keeps the soil open; it is important that the soil should be well drained.

  • Echinopsis oxygona visited by a European honeybee; Kfar Blum Kibbutz garden, Israel.
    Echinopsis oxygona visited by a European honeybee; Kfar Blum Kibbutz garden, Israel.
  • Echinopsis oxygona
    Echinopsis oxygona
  • Echinopsis lageniformis monstrose short form
    Echinopsis lageniformis monstrose short form

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Guerrero, Pablo C.; Majure, Lucas C.; Cornejo-Romero, Amelia; Hernández-Hernández, Tania (2019). "Phylogenetic Relationships and Evolutionary Trends in the Cactus Family". Journal of Heredity 110 (1): 4–21. doi:10.1093/jhered/esy064. PMID 30476167. 
  2. ↑ Schick, Robert (2011), "Echinopsis sensu stricto and Trichocereus: Differentiating the Genera", Cactus and Succulent Journal 83 (6): 248–255, doi:10.2985/0007-9367-83.6.248 
  3. ↑ Albesiano, Sofía; Terrazas, Teresa (2012). "Cladistic Analysis of Trichocereus (Cactaceae: Cactoideae: Trichocereeae) Based on Morphological Data and Chloroplast Dna Sequences: Dedicated to Omar Emilio Ferrari (1936-2010)". Haseltonia 17: 3–23. doi:10.2985/1070-0048-17.1.2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280989243. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Schlumpberger, Boris O.; Renner, Susanne S. (2012). "Molecular phylogenetics of Echinopsis (Cactaceae): Polyphyly at all levels and convergent evolution of pollination modes and growth forms". American Journal of Botany 99 (8): 1335–49. doi:10.3732/ajb.1100288. PMID 22859654. Bibcode: 2012AmJB...99.1335S. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Echinopsis Zucc.". https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30001009-2. 
  6. ↑ "Sea-urchin cactus | Description, Distribution, & Facts | Britannica" (in en). https://www.britannica.com/plant/sea-urchin-cactus. 

Bibliography

  • Edward F. Anderson, The Cactus Family (Timber Press, 2001) ISBN 0-88192-498-9, pp. 255–286
  • K. Trout, Trout's Notes on San Pedro & related Trichocereus species (Sacred Cacti 3rd ed. Part B) (Moksha Press, 2005) ISBN 0-9770876-0-3

Template:Echinopsis Wikidata ☰ Q131726 entry



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