Ferocactus cylindraceus facts for kids
Ferocactus cylindraceus is a type of barrel cactus. People also call it the California barrel cactus, Desert barrel cactus, or miner's compass. It was first described by a scientist named George Engelmann in 1853.
Quick facts for kids Ferocactus cylindraceus |
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Ferocactus
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F. cylindraceus
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| Ferocactus cylindraceus (Engelm.) Orcutt
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Echinocactus viridescens var. cylindraceus Engelm. |
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Contents
Where This Cactus Grows
This cactus naturally grows in the eastern Mojave Desert and western Sonoran Desert. You can find it in parts of Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah in the Southwestern United States. It also grows in Baja California and Sonora state in Northwestern Mexico.
It likes to grow in gravelly, rocky, or sandy soils. You can spot it in areas with Creosote Bush plants and Joshua Tree forests. It lives at elevations from about 60 to 1,500 meters (200 to 4,900 feet) above sea level.
What This Cactus Looks Like
Ferocactus cylindraceus is usually shaped like a cylinder or a ball. Some older cacti can grow quite tall, up to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) high.
It has many long, sharp spines covering its body. When the spines are new, they are straight and red. As they get older, they become curved and turn gray.
The cactus produces beautiful flowers. The outside of the flowers is maroon, but the inside is bright yellow. The center of the flower, which faces the sun, can be red or yellow. After the flowers, the cactus grows yellow fruits that are fleshy and hollow.
Different Kinds of This Cactus
There are a few different types, or varieties, of Ferocactus cylindraceus:
- Ferocactus cylindraceus cylindraceus— This is the California barrel cactus.
- Ferocactus cylindraceus lecontei (Engelm.) N.P.Taylor — Also known as Leconte's barrel cactus.
- Ferocactus cylindraceus tortulispinus (H.E.Gates) N.P.Taylor
Protecting This Plant
This cactus has a unique and beautiful shape, which makes it popular. However, it is not very common, and some people illegally take these plants from the wild.
It is also losing its natural home. Land is being cleared for new wind farms and solar power plants in the Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert.
To help protect it, this cactus grows in several special protected areas, including:
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Mojave National Preserve
- Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
Gallery
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Flower, in Palm Canyon, California.
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Red barrel cacti, Joshua Tree National Park.
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Unusual shape, in Palm Canyon, California.
See also
In Spanish: Ferocactus cylindraceus para niños
