Escobaria vivipara facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Escobaria vivipara
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Tribe:	Cacteae
Genus:	Escobaria
Species:	E. vivipara
Binomial name
Escobaria vivipara (Nutt.) Buxb.
Synonyms
List Cactus radiosus var. neomexicanus (Engelm.) J.M.Coult. Coryphantha aggregata (Engelm.) Britton & Rose Coryphantha alversonii (Coult.) Orcutt Coryphantha alversonii var. exaltissima Wiegand & Backeb. Coryphantha arizonica (Engelm.) Britton & Rose Coryphantha bisbeeana Orcutt Coryphantha fragrans Hester Coryphantha neomexicana (Engelm.) Britton & Rose Coryphantha neovivipara (Viv.) Y.Itô Coryphantha neovivipara var. aggregata (Engelm.) Y.Itô Coryphantha neovivipara var. arizonica (Engelm.) Y.Itô Coryphantha neovivipara var. neomexicana (Engelm.) Y.Itô Coryphantha neovivipara var. radiosa (Engelm.) Y.Itô Coryphantha radiosa (Engelm.) Rydb. Coryphantha vivipara (Nutt.) Britton & Rose Coryphantha vivipara f. sonorensis P.C.Fisch. Coryphantha vivipara var. aggregata (Engelm.) W.T.Marshall Coryphantha vivipara var. arizonica (Engelm.) W.T.Marshall Coryphantha vivipara var. bisbeeana (Orcutt) L.D.Benson Coryphantha vivipara var. buoflama P.C.Fisch. Coryphantha vivipara var. kaibabensis P.C.Fisch. Coryphantha vivipara var. neomexicana (Engelm.) Backeb. Coryphantha vivipara var. radiosa (Engelm.) Backeb. Coryphantha vivipara var. rosea (Clokey) L.D.Benson Escobaria aggregata (Engelm.) Buxb. Escobaria arizonica (Engelm.) Buxb. Escobaria bisbeeana (Orcutt) Borg Escobaria neomexicana (Engelm.) Buxb. Escobaria oklahomensis (Lahman) Buxb. Escobaria vivipara var. arizonica (Engelm.) D.R.Hunt Escobaria vivipara var. bisbeeana (Orcutt) D.R.Hunt Escobaria vivipara var. buoflama (P.C.Fisch.) N.P.Taylor Escobaria vivipara var. kaibabensis (P.C.Fisch.) N.P.Taylor Escobaria vivipara var. neomexicana (Engelm.) Buxb. Escobaria vivipara var. radiosa (Engelm.) D.R.Hunt Escobaria vivipara var. rosea (Clokey) D.R.Hunt Mammillaria arizonica Engelm. Mammillaria arizonica var. alversonii (J.M. Coult.) Davidson & Moxley Mammillaria neomexicana A. Nelson Mammillaria radiosa Engelm. Mammillaria radiosa var. alversonii (J.M. Coult.) K. Schum. Mammillaria radiosa var. arizonica (Engelm.) K. Schum. Mammillaria radiosa var. vivipara (Nutt.) Schelle Mammillaria vivipara (Nutt.) Haw. Mammillaria vivipara subsp. radiosa Engelm. Mammillaria vivipara var. alversonii (J.M. Coult.) L.D. Benson Mammillaria vivipara var. radiosa Engelm.

Escobaria vivipara is a species of cactus known by several common names. These include spinystar, viviparous foxtail cactus, pincushion cactus, and ball cactus. It grows naturally in North America. You can find different types of this cactus from Mexico up to Canada. Most of these types live in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.

About the Spinystar Cactus

This cactus is usually small and round. It can grow up to about 15 cm (6 inches) tall. Often, it stays even smaller, looking more like an oval or a ball. The cactus is covered with many straight white spines. These spines are about 1 to 2.5 cm (0.4 to 1 inch) long. They are arranged in a star shape. The cactus blooms with colorful flowers. These flowers can be yellow, pink, red, or purple. They are about 2 to 5 cm (0.8 to 2 inches) wide.

Different Types of Spinystar Cactus

There are several different types, or varieties, of Escobaria vivipara. Here are some of them:

• E. v. var. arizonica (Arizona spinystar) – This type grows in the desert areas of the southwestern United States.
• E. v. var. bisbeeana (Bisbee spinystar) – You can find this variety in Arizona and New Mexico.
• E. v. var. deserti (Desert spinystar) – This type is also found in the desert southwest.
• E. v. var. kaibabensis (Kaibab spinystar) – This variety mostly lives in Arizona.
• E. v. var. neomexicana (New Mexico spinystar) – This type is native to New Mexico and Texas.
• E. v. var. vivipara – This variety is found as far north as Manitoba, Canada.

Where It Grows

Today, the spinystar cactus grows across a large area in western North America. However, a very long time ago, in the early Holocene era, it grew in different places. Scientists have studied old pollen to map where this cactus used to live. For example, during the Late Wisconsin period, Escobaria vivipara was found in the Waterman Mountains in northern Arizona. It does not grow there anymore today.

In the US state of Minnesota, this cactus is considered a threatened species. This means it is rare there. Minnesota is the easternmost place where it naturally grows. It is found in a small part of western Minnesota. There, it grows in cracks and rocky areas of granite. One group of these plants was first noted in 1898 as "quite abundant." But due to farms taking over its habitat, its numbers have gone down. The remaining plants are also at risk from people taking them without permission. Some people like to plant them in rock gardens or on windowsills.

Images for kids

• 

  This spinystar cactus is flowering near Phillips, Montana, USA.

• Escobaria vivipara (4008222754.jpg

  This picture shows the spinystar's reddish spines.

See also

In Spanish: Escobaria vivipara para niños