viviparous foxtail cactus (Cactus of Metro Phoenix (April 2021 EcoQuest Guide))

viviparous foxtail cactus

Escobaria vivipara

Summary ⁵

Escobaria vivipara is a species of cactus known by several common names, including spinystar, and viviparous foxtail cactus. It is native to North America, where certain varieties can be found from Mexico to Canada. Most are limited to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. This is a small cactus growing to a maximum height of about 15 centimeters, often remaining smaller and oblong or spherical. It is densely covered in a mat of star-shaped arrays of straight...

Description ⁶

This is a small round cactus growing to a maximum height of about 15 cm (6 in), often remaining smaller and oblong or spherical. It is densely covered in a mat of star-shaped arrays of straight white spines 1 to 2.5 cm (³⁄₈ to 1 in) long. It flowers in yellow, pink, red, or purple blooms 2–5 cm (³⁄₄–2 in) across.

Distribution ⁶

While the species presently has a broad range across the western part of North America, its distribution in the early Holocene era is known to have been a different one. From pollen core data, a portion of the prehistoric distribution of this species has been mapped; for example in the Late Wisconsin period, Escobaria vivipara occurred in the Waterman Mountains (Coconino County) of northern Arizona, (the Waterman Mountains are in SE Arizona), although the species does not occur in this location in the present time.

In the US state of Minnesota, it is listed as a threatened species and is at the most easterly extent of its natural range; it is rare in the state and found in a narrow section of the western part of the state, where it is found growing in crevices and outcroppings of granite. It consists of one population that in the past was recorded by Lycurgus Moyer, who found it in 1898, as "quite abundant", but because of habitat loss due to farming, its numbers have declined. The remaining plants are also threatened by illegal harvesting by cactus fanciers, who plant it in rock gardens and windowsills.

Flowering specimen near Phillips, Montana, USA

Characteristic reddish spines

Sources and Credits

(c) Kyla Rushton, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kyla Rushton
(c) Ad Konings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ad Konings
(c) Pedro Nájera Quezada, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Pedro Nájera Quezada
(c) William Auther, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by William Auther
Adapted by Jeny Davis from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escobaria_vivipara
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escobaria_vivipara

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