Golden Barrell Cactus

Echinocactus grusonii

''Echinocactus grusonii'' is a well known species of cactus native to central Mexico from San Luis Potosi to Hidalgo. It belongs to the small genus ''Echinocactus'', which together with the related genus ''Ferocactus'', are commonly referred to as barrel cacti.
Golden Barrel Cactus - Echinocactus grusonii Flower close-up Echinocactus grusonii,Golden Barrell Cactus

Appearance

While sometimes referred to as Golden Ball, this species is not to be confused with Notocactus leninghausii which have fuzzy, harmless spines and are native to Brazil and Paraguay.

Growing as a large roughly spherical globe, it may eventually reach over a metre in height after many years. There may be up to 35 pronounced ribs in mature plants, though they are not evident in young plants, which may have a knobbly appearance. Note: Younger Golden Barrels do not look similar to the mature ones. The sharp spines are long, straight or slightly curved, and various shades of yellow or, occasionally, white. Small yellow flowers appear in summer around the crown of the plant, but only after twenty years or so.
Echinocactus grusonii Native to central Mexico, in the Rio Moctezuma Valley, Querétaro. Rare and endangered in the wild - the small population in Querétaro occurs on medium to steep slopes of volcanic rock in a very small area (less than 10 km²). The total number of plants in the Querétaro population is estimated to be less than 1,000, the majority of which are mature. A new sub-population was discovered in Zacatecas growing in semi-desert matorral (shrubland), among volcanic rocks. Despite the fact that few plants remain in the wild today, their off-site conservation has allowed for extensive propagation by nurseries, and the golden barrel cactus is now one of the most common cacti in cultivation. Growing as a large roughly spherical globe, Echinocactus grusonii may eventually reach over 1 m in height after many years. The specimen in the top right of this grouping is 45 cm diameter. Australia,Cactaceae,Caryophyllales,Echinocactus grusonii,Flora,Geotagged,Golden Barrell Cactus,Golden barrel cactus,Mother-In-Law's Cushion,Winter,botany,plant

Naming

Described by Heinrich Hildmann in 1891, it is popularly known as the Golden Barrel Cactus, Golden Ball or, amusingly, Mother-in-Law's Cushion.
Golden Barrel Cactus - Echinocactus grusonii I find the center part of this cactus quite pretty. Echinocactus grusonii,Golden Barrell Cactus

Status

Despite being one of the most popular cacti in cultivation, it is rare and critically endangered in the wild.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Status: Critically endangered
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderCaryophyllales
FamilyCactaceae
GenusEchinocactus
SpeciesE. grusonii
Photographed in
Australia
Bulgaria
Spain
Netherlands
United States of America