Biology:Ferocactus

Short description: Genus of cacti

Ferocactus
Ferocactus glaucescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Tribe:	Cacteae
Genus:	Ferocactus Britton & Rose
Species
See text.
Synonyms
Bisnaga Orcutt Brittonia C.A.Armstr.

Ferocactus cylindraceus, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada, USA

Ferocactus echidne

Ferocactus is a genus of large barrel-shaped cacti, mostly with large spines and small flowers. There are about 30 species included in the genus. They are found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Description

The young specimens are columnar but as they grow older ribs form and they take on a barrel form. Most of the species are solitary but some, such as Ferocactus robustus and F. glaucescens, have clustering habits. The flowers are pink, yellow, red or purple depending on the species, and the petals sometimes have a stripe of a darker colour.

Habitat

They are desert dwellers and can cope with some frost and intense heat. The typical habitat is hot and very arid, and the plants have adapted to exploit water movement to concentrate their biomass in areas where water is likely to be present. Like Sclerocactus, Ferocactus typically grow in areas where water flows irregularly or depressions where water can accumulate for short periods of time. They are most often found growing along arroyos (washes) where their seeds have been subjected to scarification due to water movement, but they oddly also tend to grow along ridges in spots where depressions have formed and can hold water for some period of time.

Adaptations

Ferocactus have very shallow root systems and are easily uprooted during flash floods. The "fishhook" spines and the armored web of spines enclosing the cactus body in many species of this genus are adaptations which allow the plant to move to more favorable locations. The seeds germinate in areas where water movement occurs or in areas where standing water accumulates for some period of time, and during flash floods, the hooked spines allow the plants to be caught on waterborne debris, uprooted and carried to areas where water tends to accumulate.

Cultivation

In cultivation Ferocactus require full sun, little water, and good drainage. They are popular as houseplants. They cannot tolerate freezing temperatures for extended periods, which typically cause them to yellow, bleach, then slowly die. Propagation is usually from seeds, but clustering species such as Ferocactus robustus and F. glaucescens can be propagated by removing a rooted offset and planting it.

Ecology

Many ferocactus species are ant plants, exuding nectar along the upper meristem from extrafloral nectaries above each areole, and hosting ant colonies.

Species

Section	Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
Section Bisnaga		Ferocactus echidne	Sonora Barrel Cactus, Coville's Barrel Cactus, Emory's Barrel Cactus, Traveler's Friend	Mexico
		Ferocactus flavovirens		Mexico.
		Ferocactus glaucescens		Hidalgo, México.
		Ferocactus haematacanthus (Salm-Dyck) Bravo ex Backeb. & F.M.Knuth		Mexico.
		Ferocactus hamatacanthus (Muehlenpf.) Britton & Rose	Turk's-Head Barrel Cactus, Biznaga-barril Costillona	Chihuahuan Desert of north-western Mexico, New Mexico, and south-western Texas.
		Ferocactus histrix (DC.) G.E.Linds.	Electrode Cactus	Mexico.
		Ferocactus latispinus (Haw.) Britton & Rose		southeastern Durango, through Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, east to the western parts of San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo and Puebla, as well as to eastern Jalisco, Guanajuato, Querétaro and Mexico State.
		Ferocactus lindsayi		Mexico (Michoacán, Guerrero)
		Ferocactus macrodiscus		Mexico.
		Ferocactus schwarzii	Schwarz's Barrel Cactus	Mexico.
Section Ferocactus		Ferocactus alamosanus		Mexican state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico
		Ferocactus chrysacanthus		Mexico.
		Ferocactus cylindraceus (Engelm.) Orcutt	California Barrel Cactus, Biznaga-barril cilíndrica	eastern Mojave Desert and western Sonoran Desert Ecoregions in: Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah in the Southwestern United States; and Baja California, and Sonora state in Northwestern Mexico.
		Ferocactus diguetii		Mexico.
		Ferocactus emoryi (Engelm.) Orcutt	Emory's Barrel Cactus, Biznaga-barril de Emory	Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur) and in the United States (Arizona).
		Ferocactus fordii		Baja California in Mexico.
		Ferocactus gracilis H.E.Gates	Fire Barrel Cactus	Mexico.
		Ferocactus herrerae	Twisted Barrel Cactus	Mexico (Sinaloa, Sonora)
		Ferocactus johnstonianus Britton & Rose	Johnston's Barrel Cactus	Angel de la Guardia Island, Baja California, Mexico.
		Ferocactus mathssonii		Mexico (Guanajuato to San Luis Potosí)
		Ferocactus peninsulae (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose		Mexican state of Baja California Sur.
		Ferocactus pilosus	Mexican Lime Cactus, Viznaga de Lima	Méxican states of Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosí, and Tamaulipas
		Ferocactus pottsii		Mexico.
		Ferocactus robustus		Puebla and Veracruz in Mexico.
		Ferocactus santa-maria	Santa-Maria Barrel Cactus	Mexico.
		Ferocactus tiburonensis		Mexico (Gulf of California: Tiburon Island)
		Ferocactus townsendianus	Townsend Barrel Cactus	Mexico.
		Ferocactus uncinatus (Galeotti) Britton & Rose		Mexico, New Mexico, Texas
		Ferocactus viridescens (Torr. & A.Gray) Britton & Rose	San Diego Barrel Cactus, Biznaga-barril Verdosa	northern Baja California, Mexico and California
		Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelm.) Britton & Rose	Fishhook Barrel Cactus, Candy Barrel Cactus, Biznaga-barril de Nuevo México	southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Formerly placed here

• Sclerocactus brevihamatus tobuschii (W.T.Marshall) N.P.Taylor (as F. tobuschii (W.T.Marshall) N.P.Taylor)
• Sclerocactus glaucus (K.Schum.) L.D.Benson (as F. glaucus (K.Schum.) N.P.Taylor)
• Sclerocactus mesae-verdae (Boissev. & C. Davidson) L.D.Benson (as F. mesae-verdae (Boissev. & C.Davidson) N.P.Taylor)
• Sclerocactus pubispinus (Engelm.) L.D.Benson (as F. pubispinus (Engelm.) N.P.Taylor)

References

• The species list is referenced in part from cactiguide.com which is in turn referenced from several books which are listed on that site. The principal book listed there is The Cactus Family by Edward F. Anderson, (2001).

External links

• Die Gattung Ferocactus (in German)

Wikidata ☰ Q131727 entry