Fendler's hedgehog cactus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fendler's hedgehog cactus |
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The Echinocereus fendleri is a type of cactus often called the pinkflower hedgehog cactus or Fendler's hedgehog cactus. It got its name from a person named Augustus Fendler.
This cactus grows in dry areas like deserts and woodlands. You can find it in the Southwestern United States and parts of Northeastern Mexico. It is most common in New Mexico.
Scientists are still learning about the exact types of this cactus. They believe there might be up to eight different kinds, or "varieties."
What Does the Pinkflower Hedgehog Cactus Look Like?
The Echinocereus fendleri cactus has a stem that stands upright. It can be oval or shaped like a cylinder. Sometimes, several stems grow together in a clump. These stems can grow from about 7.5 to 30 centimeters tall.
Each part of the cactus where spines grow, called an areole, can have up to 16 spines. These spines are usually brown and white. Some are white with a brown stripe.
The flowers of this cactus are very pretty and stand out. They can be almost any shade of pink. This includes very light pink, almost white, to a deep, dark red color called maroon. Each flower can be up to 11 centimeters long and wide. The petals, called tepals, can be up to 7 centimeters long.
After the flower, the cactus grows a red fruit. This fruit is a few centimeters long. The plant's fleshy parts, including the stems and fruits, can be eaten. In the past, Native American groups ate these parts of the cactus.
Special Varieties of Fendler's Hedgehog Cactus
One special type of this cactus is called Echinocereus fendleri var. kuenzleri. It is also known as Kuenzler's hedgehog cactus. This variety used to be called Echinocereus kuenzleri.
This specific variety is very rare. The United States government has listed it as an endangered species. This means it is at risk of disappearing forever. When it was first listed in 1979, only about 200 of these plants were known to exist. All of them were found in the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico.
A big threat to these plants was poachers. These are people who illegally take plants from nature. They removed many of these rare cacti from their natural homes.
Since then, more groups of Kuenzler's hedgehog cactus have been found. Because of this, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has suggested changing its status. They think it should be listed as "threatened" instead of "endangered." This means it is still at risk, but less so than before.
Kuenzler's hedgehog cactus looks a bit different from other varieties. It has very large flowers, which can be up to 11 centimeters long. These flowers are a bright purplish-pink color called magenta. This variety also has white spines.
See also
In Spanish: Echinocereus fendleri para niños
