Ferocactus wislizeni

Ferocactus wislizeni, the fishhook barrel cactus, also called Arizona barrel cactus, candy barrel cactus, and Southwestern barrel cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, native to northern Mexico and the southern United States. It is a ball-shaped cactus eventually growing to a cylindrical shape, with spiny ribs and red or yellow flowers in summer.

Ferocactus wislizeni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Ferocactus
Species:	F. wislizeni
Binomial name
Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelm.) Britt. & Rose
Synonyms
Echinocactus wislizeni Engelm.

Large fishhook barrel cactus near Sahuarita, Arizona

Some sources mistakenly spell the epithet "wislizenii." The correct spelling is with one "i," per ICN article 60C.2.^[1]

Characteristics

The fishhook barrel cactus typically grows to a diameter of roughly 2.25 ft (0.69 m) and a height of 3–6 ft (0.91–1.83 m). However, specimens as wide as 3 ft (0.91 m) and tall as 10 ft (3.0 m) have been recorded.^[2] The common name comes from the spines, which are thick and hooked. It has a leathery asparagus green cortex (skin) with approximately 15-28 ribs per cactus. Its flowers 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.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). It grows in gravelly or sandy soil, more commonly on bajadas than steep slopes, at 1000 to 5300 feet (300–1600 m) elevation. It prefers full sun, and does well in hot arid climates. It is, however, frost-tolerant to 5 °F (-15 °C)^[3]

Ecology

The flowers are pollinated by cactus bees (Lithurge spp.). Mule deer, birds, and javelina eat the fruit. The birds especially like the seeds. The people of the Sonoran Desert use the fruit for candy and jelly.^[4] The Seri and O'odham eat the flowers and use the fruit, which is sour, as emergency food.^[5] Tradition says that the barrel cactus is a source of water for people lost without water in the desert. There are records of the southwestern Native Americans using it for that purpose,^[6] but the water contains oxalic acid and is likely to cause diarrhea if ingested on an empty stomach.^[7]

The skin thickens with age, making older cacti more fire resistant. Even so, average mortality due to fire is 50 to 67 percent within the first two years following fire.^[4]

In urban areas, the Fishhook Barrel is valued as an ornamental plant. It is drought tolerant and good for xeriscaping, and it is also a low-maintenance full-sun plant.

Gallery

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  Young Fishhook barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni)
•  
  Fishhook barrel cactus cluster near Sahuarita, Arizona.
•  
  Fruit atop a fishhook barrel cactus.
•  
  Top view of young Fishhook Barrel
•  
  Flowers

References

1. 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
2. Barrelcactus Cactacae Ferocactus wislizeni. USDA Fact Sheet.
3. Philippe Faucon. Fishhook Barrel Cactus. Desert Tropicals.
4. Cite error: The named reference USFS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
5. Cite error: The named reference Dimmitt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
6. "BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database". naeb.brit.org. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
7. "Cactaceae (cactus family)". www.desertmuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-03-23.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ferocactus wislizeni.

• Fishhook Barrel Cactus Pictures at BioImages.
• Fishhook Barrel Cactus Pictures at CalPhotos
• Map of Fishhook Barrel Cactus range
• USDA: NRCS Plants Profile Ferocactus wislizeni
• Ferocactus wislizeni at Flora of North America; RangeMap

Edited by: Jeramius Ohollihan the third