California barrel cactus
Ferocactus cylindraceus
Summary 7
Ferocactus cylindraceus is a species of barrel cactus which is known by several common names, including California barrel cactus, Desert barrel cactus, and miner's compass. It was first described by George Engelmann in 1853.
Description 8
Ferocactus cylindraceus is usually cylindrical or spherical, with some older specimens forming columns 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height. It is covered in long, plentiful spines, which are straight and red when new and become curved and gray as they age.
The cactus bears flowers that are maroon outside, and bright yellow inside, with red or yellow centers on the side that faces the sun. The fleshy, hollow fruits are yellow.
Distribution 8
This cactus is native to the eastern Mojave Desert and western Sonoran DesertEcoregions in: Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah in the Southwestern United States; and Baja California, and Sonora state in Northwestern Mexico.
It is found in gravelly, rocky, or sandy soils, in Creosote Bush Scrub and Joshua Tree Woodland habitats, from 60–1,500 metres (200–4,920 ft) in elevation.
Conservation 8
Having a sculptural form and picturesque qualities, this already uncommon cactus is threatened by plant collectors. It is also losing habitat to clearing for new wind farms and solar power plants in the Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert.
Sources and Credits
- (c) birgitknorr, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by birgitknorr
- (c) Liliana Ortiz Serrato, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liliana Ortiz Serrato
- (c) Pro Esteros, A.C., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Pro Esteros, A.C.
- (c) Tiburones Dorados Bahía de los Ángeles, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tiburones Dorados Bahía de los Ángeles
- (c) Erik Meling, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Erik Meling
- (c) Jorge H. Valdez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jorge H. Valdez
- Adapted by Jeny Davis from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferocactus_cylindraceus
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferocactus_cylindraceus
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- Calflora
- CalPhotos
- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- Jepson eFlora
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- World Flora Online
