Echinocereus

The species of the genus Echinocereus grow solitary or branching with prostrate to erect shoots that are spherical to cylindrical. The roots are fibrous or bulbous. The plants reach heights of growth between 1 and 60 centimeters. On the tips of the 4 to 26 ribs, which are mostly clear and only rarely resolved into humps, are the areoles, from which differently shaped spines can arise.

A distinctive characteristic and likely synapomorphy of the genus is the erumpent flowers.^[4] The floral buds develop internally and break through the epidermis of the stem. This flower morphology is likely an adaptation to protect the developing buds from low temperatures. Upon maturity, the flowers are usually brightly colored and open during the day. Echinocereus floral color is variable because perianth color reflects pollinator specificity. Red flowers are generally associated with hummingbird pollination, while pink flowers tend to correspond to moth pollination. Their pericarp and floral tubes are studded with thorns, bristles, and sometimes wool. The scar is usually green, but sometimes white in color.

The spherical to ovoid fruits are green to red and mostly thorny. They are mostly juicy and open along a longitudinal slit. The sometimes fragrant fruits contain broadly oval, black, tuberous seeds 0.8 to 2 millimeters long.^[5]

Echinocereus is a genus in the tribe Echinocereeae within the subfamily Cactoideae of the Cactaceae family.^[6] The Cactoideae can be further divided into two sister clades, Cactoideae I and II.^[7] Echinocereus is situated within the Cactoideae I clade within the Pachycereeae tribe, a tribe that represents a diversification that yielded columnar and arborescent forms. Echinocereus emerged 4.6 ± 1.7 million years ago.^[8] Echinocereus is a strongly supported monophyletic genus that is sister to Stenocereus, although there has historically been substantial debate about infrageneric classification because of the genus's high rates of morphological variation and convergent evolution.

Echinocereus spp. are easier to cultivate than many other cacti.^{[citation needed]} They need light soil, a sunny exposure, and a fresh and dry winter to flower. They grow better in soil slightly richer than other cacti. In the wild, several of the species are cold hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as −23 °C, but only in dry conditions.

The following species are recognized in the genus Echinocereus by Plants of the World Online:^[9] separated by sections established in Phylogeny in Echinocereus (Cactaceae) based on combined morphological and molecular evidence: taxonomic implications 2017.^[10]

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Section	Image	Scientific name	Subspecies	Distribution
Costati (Engelm.) N.P.Taylor (1994)		Echinocereus berlandieri (Engelm.) Haage		Mexico, Texas
		Echinocereus cinerascens (DC.) Lem.	Echinocereus cinerascens subsp. cinerascens Echinocereus cinerascens subsp. septentrionalis (N.P.Taylor) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus cinerascens subsp. tulensis (Bravo) N.P.Taylor	Texas to Mexico
		Echinocereus enneacanthus Engelm.		Mexico (Jalisco)
		Echinocereus freudenbergeri G.Frank		Mexico (S. Coahuila)
		Echinocereus longisetus (Engelm.) Lem.	Echinocereus longisetus subsp. delaetii (Gürke) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus longisetus subsp. longisetus	Mexico (Coahuila).
		Echinocereus nivosus Glass & R.A.Foster		Mexico (SE. Coahuila, Nuevo León)
		Echinocereus papillosus Linke ex Rümpler		Texas to NE. Mexico
		Echinocereus parkeri N.P.Taylor	Echinocereus parkeri subsp. arteagensis W.Blum & Mich.Lange Echinocereus parkeri subsp. gonzalezii (N.P.Taylor) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus parkeri subsp. mazapilensis W.Blum & Mich.Lange Echinocereus parkeri subsp. parkeri	Mexico.
		Echinocereus rayonesensis N.P.Taylor		Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas).
		Echinocereus stramineus (Engelm.) F.Seitz		New Mexico to W. Texas and NE. Mexico
		Echinocereus viereckii Werderm.	Echinocereus viereckii subsp. morricalii (Říha) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus viereckii subsp. viereckii	Mexico (SW. Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila).
		Echinocereus zapalinamensis W.Blum & J.Flores Ventura		Mexico (Coahuila)
Echinocereus		Echinocereus blumii D.Felix & H.Bauer		Mexico (Coahuila)
		Echinocereus canus D.Felix & H.Bauer		Texas
		Echinocereus chloranthus (Engelm.) Haage		SE. Arizona to W. Texas and Mexico (Chihuahua)
		Echinocereus davisii Houghton		Texas
		Echinocereus mapimiensis E.F.Anderson, W.C.Hodgs. & P.Quirk		Mexico (Coahuila, Durango)
		Echinocereus milleri W.Blum, Kuenzler & Oldach		Texas
		Echinocereus neocapillus (Weniger) W.Blum & Mich.Lange		W. Texas
		Echinocereus pentalophus (DC.) J.N.Haage	Echinocereus pentalophus subsp. leonensis (Mathsson) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus pentalophus subsp. pentalophus Echinocereus pentalophus subsp. procumbens (Engelm.) W.Blum & Mich.Lange	Texas, Mexico (to Jalisco)
		Echinocereus occidentalis (N.P.Taylor) W.Rischer, S.Breckw. & Breckw.	Echinocereus occidentalis subsp. breckwoldtiorum De-Nova, Cast.-Lara & W.Blum Echinocereus occidentalis subsp. occidentalis	Mexico
		Echinocereus russanthus D.Weniger		Texas to Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila)
		Echinocereus viridiflorus Engelm.	Echinocereus viridiflorus subsp. correllii (L.D.Benson) W.Blum & Mich.Lange Echinocereus viridiflorus subsp. viridiflorus	SW. South Dakota to N. Texas and Mexico (Coahuila)
Erecti (K.Schum.) Bravo (1982)		Echinocereus apachensis W.Blum & Rutow		Arizona.
		Echinocereus barthelowianus Britton & Rose		Mexico (Island Magdalena)
		Echinocereus bonkerae Thornber & Bonker		Arizona
		Echinocereus brandegeei (J.M.Coult.) K.Schum.		Mexico (Baja California)
		Echinocereus dasyacanthus Engelm.	Echinocereus dasyacanthus subsp. ctenoides (Engelm.) Lodé Echinocereus dasyacanthus subsp. dasyacanthus Echinocereus dasyacanthus subsp. multispinosus D.Felix & H.Bauer Echinocereus dasyacanthus subsp. rectispinus (Trocha & Fethke) W.Blum, W.Rischer & Rutow	Mexico (Coahuila)
		Echinocereus engelmannii (Parry ex Engelm.) Lem.	Echinocereus engelmannii subsp. engelmannii Echinocereus engelmannii subsp. llanuraensis (Rutow) Felger	United States (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah), Mexico
		Echinocereus fasciculatus (Engelm. ex B.D.Jacks.) L.D.Benson		Colorado to NE. Mexico.
		Echinocereus felixianus H.Bauer		New Mexico, Texas, Mexico (N. Sonora to N. Chihuahua)
		Echinocereus fendleri (Engelm.) Sencke ex J.N.Haage	Echinocereus fendleri subsp. fendleri Echinocereus fendleri subsp. rectispinus (Peebles) N.P.Taylor	Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah; Mexico (Baja California, NW. Sonora).
		Echinocereus ferreirianus H.E.Gates	Echinocereus ferreirianus subsp. ferreirianus Echinocereus ferreirianus subsp. lindsayorum (J.Meyrán) N.P.Taylor	Mexico (C. Baja California)
		Echinocereus ledingii Peebles		Arizona.
		Echinocereus maritimus (M.E.Jones) K.Schum.		Mexico (Baja California).
		Echinocereus nicholii (L.D.Benson) B.D.Parfitt		Arizona to Mexico (Sonora)
		Echinocereus pectinatus (Scheidw.) Engelm.	Echinocereus pectinatus subsp. pectinatus Echinocereus pectinatus subsp. rutowiorum W.Blum Echinocereus pectinatus subsp. wenigeri (L.D.Benson) W.Blum & Rutow	Mexico.
		Echinocereus perplexus W.Blum & A.P.Campos		Texas
		Echinocereus relictus Wellard		Utah
Pulchellus N.P.Taylor (1985)		Echinocereus acanthosetus (S.Arias & U.Guzmán) Gómez-Quintero & Dan.Sánchez		Mexico
		Echinocereus adustus Engelm.	Echinocereus adustus subsp. adustus Echinocereus adustus subsp. roemerianus W.Rischer Echinocereus adustus subsp. schwarzii (A.B.Lau) N.P.Taylor	Mexico (Chihuahua)
		Echinocereus knippelianus Liebner		Mexico (SE. Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí).
		Echinocereus laui G.Frank		Mexico (E. Sonora, Chihuahua)
		Echinocereus pamanesii A.B.Lau	Echinocereus pamanesii subsp. bonatzii (R.C.Römer) R.C.Römer Echinocereus pamanesii subsp. pamanesii	Mexico (Zacatecas)
		Echinocereus pulchellus (Mart.) K.Schum.		Mexico (Hidalgo, Puebla)
		Echinocereus schereri G.Frank		Mexico (Durango).
		Echinocereus sharpii (N.P.Taylor) Dan.Sánchez & Gómez-Quintero		Mexico (Nuevo León)
		Echinocereus weinbergii Weing.	Echinocereus weinbergii subsp. venustus (W.Blum & W.Rischer) Gómez-Quintero & Dan.Sánchez Echinocereus weinbergii subsp. weinbergii	Mexico (Jalisco)
Reichenbachii N.P.Taylor (1985)		Echinocereus bristolii W.T.Marshall		Mexico (Sonora)
		Echinocereus chisosensis W.T.Marshall	Echinocereus chisosensis subsp. chisosensis Echinocereus chisosensis subsp. fobeanus (Oehme) N.P.Taylor	Texas to Mexico
		Echinocereus grandis Britton & Rose		Mexico (Islands de las Animas)
		Echinocereus palmeri Britton & Rose	Echinocereus palmeri subsp. mazapil H.M.Hern. & Gómez-Hin. Echinocereus palmeri subsp. palmeri	Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango)
		Echinocereus primolanatus Fritz Schwarz ex N.P.Taylor		Mexico (to Jalisco).
		Echinocereus pseudopectinatus (N.P.Taylor) N.P.Taylor		Arizona to Mexico (NE. Sonora)
		Echinocereus reichenbachii (Terscheck ex Walp.) J.N.Haage	Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. armatus (Poselger) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. baileyi (Rose) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. burrensis G.Frank, Metorn & E.Scherer Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. fitchii (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. perbellus (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. reichenbachii	Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas; Mexico
		Echinocereus rigidissimus (Engelm.) Rose	Echinocereus rigidissimus subsp. rigidissimus Echinocereus rigidissimus subsp. rubispinus (G.Frank & A.B.Lau) N.P.Taylor	New Mexico, Arizona and N. Mexico
		Echinocereus sciurus (K.Brandegee) Dams	Echinocereus sciurus subsp. floresii (Schwarz ex Backeb.) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus sciurus subsp. sciurus	Mexico (S. Baja California Sur)
		Echinocereus scopulorum Britton & Rose		Mexico (to Nayarit)
		Echinocereus spinigemmatus A.B.Lau		Mexico (NW. Jalisco, W. Zacatecas)
		Echinocereus stolonifer W.T.Marshall	Echinocereus stolonifer subsp. stolonifer Echinocereus stolonifer subsp. tayopensis (W.T.Marshall) N.P.Taylor	Mexico (SE. Sonora, Sinaloa)
		Echinocereus subinermis Salm-Dyck ex Scheer	Echinocereus subinermis subsp. ochoterenae (J.G.Ortega) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus subinermis subsp. subinermis	Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa, SW. Chihuahua, Durango)
		Echinocereus websterianus G.E.Linds.		Mexico (Sonora: Island San Pedro Nolasco)
Triglochidiata Bravo 1973		Echinocereus acifer (Otto ex Salm-Dyck) Jacobi		Mexico
		Echinocereus arizonicus Rose ex Orcutt	Echinocereus arizonicus subsp. arizonicus Echinocereus arizonicus subsp. matudae (Bravo) Rutow Echinocereus arizonicus subsp. nigrihorridispinus W.Blum & Rutow	Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico
		Echinocereus bakeri W.Blum, Oldach & J.Oldach		Arizona, Nevada, Utah
		Echinocereus coccineus Engelm.	Echinocereus coccineus subsp. coccineus Echinocereus coccineus subsp. paucispinus (Engelm.) W.Blum, Mich.Lange & Rutow Echinocereus coccineus subsp. rosei (Wooton & Standl.) W.Blum & Rutow	New Mexico and Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua)
		Echinocereus gurneyi (L.D.Benson) W.Blum, Oldach & J.Oldach		Texas.
		Echinocereus huitcholensis (F.A.C.Weber) M.Gürke		Mexico (SE. Sinaloa to NW. Jalisco)
		Echinocereus marksianus Fritz Schwarz ex Backeb.		Mexico (San Luis Potosí)
		Echinocereus ortegae Rose	Echinocereus ortegae subsp. koehresianus (G.Frank) W.Rischer & G.Frank Echinocereus ortegae subsp. ortegae	Mexico
		Echinocereus pacificus (Engelm.) Britton & Rose	Echinocereus pacificus subsp. mombergerianus (G.Frank) W.Blum, W.Rischer & Rutow Echinocereus pacificus subsp. pacificus	Mexico (Baja California)
		Echinocereus polyacanthus Engelm.		Mexico (Chihuahua to Jalisco).
		Echinocereus salm-dyckianus Scheer		Mexico (E. Sonora to W. Chihuahua)
		Echinocereus santaritensis W.Blum & Rutow	Echinocereus santaritensis subsp. bacanorensis (W.Rischer & Trocha) W.Rischer & D.Felix Echinocereus santaritensis subsp. santaritensis	Arizona to New Mexico and Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua)
		Echinocereus scheeri (Salm-Dyck) Scheer	Echinocereus scheeri subsp. gentryi (Clover) N.P.Taylor Echinocereus scheeri subsp. scheeri	Mexico (E. Sonora to W. Durango)
		Echinocereus triglochidiatus Engelm.	Echinocereus triglochidiatus subsp. mojavensis (Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow) W.Blum & Mich.Lange Echinocereus triglochidiatus subsp. triglochidiatus	Colorado to New Mexico and NW. Mexico.
		Echinocereus yavapaiensis M.A.Baker		Arizona
Wilcoxia (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor (1985)		Echinocereus kroenleinii (Mich.Lange) W.Blum & Waldeis		Mexico (Coahuila)
		Echinocereus leucanthus N.P.Taylor		Mexico (NW. Sonora, NW. Sinaloa)
		Echinocereus poselgeri Lem.		Texas to NE. Mexico.
		Echinocereus schmollii (Weing.) N.P.Taylor		Mexico (SE. Querétaro to Hidalgo)
		Echinocereus waldeisii Haugg		Mexico (San Luis Potosí)

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