Echinocereus rigidissimus

Echinocereus rigidissimus
Echinocereus rigidissimus ssp. rubrispinus in flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Tribe:	Pachycereeae
Genus:	Echinocereus
Species:	E. rigidissimus
Subspecies:	E. rigidissimus ssp. rigidissimus E. rigidissimus ssp. rubrispinus
Binomial name
Echinocereus rigidissimus (Engelm.) F.Haage

Echinocereus rigidissimus , commonly known as the Arizona Rainbow Cactus or Rainbow Hedgehog Cactus is a solitary, growing cactus, that rarely branches or offsets with age. Echinocereus rigidissimus grows to a height of up to 30 cm, and a width of 11 cm when mature, with pectinate radial spines curved slightly towards the stem, the new spines are initially reddish to magenta and fades to a yellow or light pink colour when they mature. Echinocereus rigidissimus, flowers in flushes throughout the spring season, with multiple buds borne atop the plant from younger areoles, the flowers are bright pink in colour with a white coloured throat. If pollination is successful, Echinocereus rigidissimus forms circular shaped, greenish to dark purplish fruit, with white flesh and dark brown to black seeds approximately 3 months after flowering. Since it rarely offsets, Echinocereus rigidissimus is propagated by seed.^[1]

Habitat

Echinocereus rigidissimus natural habitat is distributed abundantly throughout Chihuahua and Sonora in Mexico, as well as in the United States in Arizona and New Mexico. It grows at elevation from 1200 to 2000 metres above sea level (Blum et al. 1998) ^[2]

Cultivation

Echinocereus rigidissimus requires porous soil as it is sensitive to overwatering. It prefers a soil with plenty of stones with little organic material to ensure the it dries as quickly as possible. Echinocereus rigidissimus requires full sun to part shade in during its active growing season from spring though to early autumn, as well as adequate air circulation to reduce the chance of rotting. In winter abstain from watering Echinocereus rigidisimmus and keep the soil mixture dry, as it helps encourage flowering in the spring season. Echinocereus rigidissimus is hardy to temperatures of −12 °C.^[1]

References