Claret Cup Cactus (2)
These two species are very similar, very variable, and both can be found in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. They both produce showy flowers with bright scarlet red to orange-red petals. The tips of the petals are rounded and stiff, strong enough for hummingbirds to perch on for pollination. Fruits are green to yellow green, pink or red, juicy and spiny. The only definitive way to distinguish them is to analyze their chromosomes but there are some general, but not always obvious, differences.
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Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus Family:
Cactus (Cactaceae) Grows in low clusters of spiny, cylindrical stems, sometimes of 100 or more stems, forming a mound over three feet across. The plants have either male or female parts. Flora of North America reference. |
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Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus Photo taken on:
May 9, 2018 E. coccineus plants tend to have more spines (from 5 to 16), closer spaced spine clusters and more ribs (from 6 to 14). The spines are cylindrical. By comparison, E. triglochidiatus plants have generally fewer spines (from 3 to 11), fewer ribs (from 5 to 12) and more widely separated spine clusters. The spines are flattened or angular. |
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Claret Cup Cactus Family:
Cactus (Cactaceae) One to twelve plants grow in mounds of spiny, cylindrical stems forming a clump that can be many feet wide. Plants have both male and female parts.
Flora of North America reference. |
