Appearance
There are a number of varieties of this highly variable cactus species, but not all are universally recognized. In general it is a mounding cactus, forming bulbous piles of few to hundreds of spherical to cylindrical stems. It is densely spiny and somewhat woolly. The showy flower is a funnel shaped bloom up to 8 or 9 centimeters wide and bright scarlet red to orange-red tepals. There is a thick nectar chamber and many thready pink stamens at the center of the corolla. The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds.One variety, var. "arizonicus", is federally listed as an endangered species in the United States. It is limited to the intersection of Arizona and New Mexico in the United States with Mexico. This variety is sometimes included within "Echinocereus coccineus".
The conservation status of several subspecies differs from that displayed. Examples include:
⤷ "Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. arizonicus" Arizona hedgehog cactus
⤷ "Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. melanacanthus" Black-Spine claret-cup hedgehog
⤷ "Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. neomexicanus" Mexican claret-cup hedgehog
Naming
Presumably the specific epithet comes from "tri-" and "glochidium", with a meaning of "having three arrow points".References:
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