Ferocactus wislizeni: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:04, 21 June 2017

Revision as of 19:43, 16 February 2018

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'''''Ferocactus wislizeni''''', the '''fishhook barrel cactus''', also called '''Arizona barrel cactus''', '''candy barrel cactus''', and '''Southwestern barrel cactus''', is a [[Cylinder (geometry)|cylindrical]] [[barrel]]-shaped [[cactus]].

Some sources mistakenly spell the epithet "''wislizenii''." Correct spelling is with one "i," per ICN article 60C.2.<ref>J. McMeill et al. (eds). 2012. International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Regnum Vegetabile 154. Koeltz Scientific Books. {{ISBN|978-3-87429-425-6}} </ref>

==Characteristics==

The fishhook barrel cactus typically grows to a diameter of roughly two feet and three inches. A height of three to six feet. However, specimens as wide as three feet and tall as ten feet have been recorded.<ref> Barrelcactus Cactacae ''Ferocactus wislizeni''. [http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/Syllabus2/fwislizeni.htm USDA Fact Sheet].</ref> The common name comes from the [[Spine (botany)|spines]], which are thick and hooked. It has a leathery [[Asparagus (color)|asparagus green]] [[Cortex (botany)|cortex]] (skin) with approximately 15-28 ribs per cactus. Its [[flower]]s are yellow to red-orange and appear atop the cactus [[fruit]] during the summer months. The fruits are green when unripe, yellow after the flower dries up, and persist atop the cactus long after the flower is gone, sometimes for more than a year.

In adulthood, fishhook barrel cacti generally lean southward, toward the sun, earning them the nickname "compass barrel cactus." One theory about why this happens is, the afternoon sun is so intense it slows the growth on the exposed side, causing the plant to grow unevenly. Older barrels can lean so far they uproot themselves and fall over, especially after heavy rains when the soil is loose.<ref name="Dimmitt">Mark A. Dimmitt. [http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_cactus_.php Cactaceae (cactus family)]. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.</ref> Its life cycle is 50-10050–100 years.

Like [[Sclerocactus]], ''Ferocactus'' typically grows in areas where water flows irregularly or depressions where water can accumulate for short periods of time. They are not associated with washes and [[Arroyo (creek)|arroyos]] but rather grow along rocky ridges and open [[bajada (geography)|bajada]]s.

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==Distribution==

The fishhook barrel cactus is native to [[southwestern United States]] and northwestern Mexico. More specifically, it can be found in southern [[Arizona]], southern [[New Mexico]], [[El Paso County, Texas]] and northern [[Sonora]] and [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], Mexico.<ref name="USFS">US Forest Service. Index of Species Information. [http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/cactus/ferwis/all.html SPECIES: ''Ferocactus wislizenii''].</ref> It grows in gravelly or sandy [[soil]], more commonly on [[Alluvial fan|bajadas]] than steep [[slope]]s, at 1000 to 5300 feet (300-1600300–1600 m) elevation. It prefers full sun, and does well in hot arid climates. It is, however, [[frost]]-tolerant to 5 &nbsp;°F (-15 &nbsp;°C)<ref>Philippe Faucon. [http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Ferocactus_wislizenii.html Fishhook Barrel Cactus]. Desert Tropicals.</ref>

==Ecology==

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*[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242415343 ''Ferocactus wislizeni'' at Flora of North America]; [http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=13375&flora_id=1 RangeMap]

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Edited by: Jeramius Ohollihan the third

[[Category:Ferocactus|wislizeni]]

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[[Category:Plants used in Native American cuisine]]

[[Category:Garden plants of North America]]

Edited by: Jeramius Ohollihan the third