Echinocereus pulchellus

Echinocereus pulchellus is a species of cactus native to Mexico.^[2]

Echinocereus pulchellus
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Echinocereus
Species:	E. pulchellus
Binomial name
Echinocereus pulchellus (Mart.) K.Schum. 1894
Synonyms
Echinocactus pulchellus Mart. 1832 Cereus amoena (A.Dietr.) Hemsl. 1880 Cereus pulchellus Pfeiff. 1837 Echinocereus amoenus (A.Dietr.) F.A.C.Weber ex F.Haage 1892 Echinocereus pulchellus var. amoenus (A.Dietr.) K.Schum. 1897 Echinocereus pulchellus subsp. sladkovskyi Halda & Kupčák 2000 Echinonyctanthus pulchellus (Pfeiff.) Lem. 1839 Echinopsis amoena A.Dietr. 1844 Echinopsis pulchella Zucc. ex C.F.Först. 1846 Echinopsis pulchella var. amoena (A.Dietr.) C.F.Först. 1846

Description

Echinocereus pulchellus typically grows alone, shrinking during the dry season and retreating underground. Its blue-green spherical shoots range from 2 to 13 cm (0.79 to 5.12 in) in length and have the same diameter, with thickened roots. The plant has nine to 17 widely spaced, slightly tuberculated ribs. It has three to 14 radial spines that are yellowish to whitish, darkening with age, and are 0.1 to 1 cm (0.039 to 0.394 in) long. The broadly funnel-shaped flowers are pink to magenta or white, appearing on the sides of the shoots. They are 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.4 in) long and up to 8 cm (3.1 in) in diameter. The small spherical fruits are nearly dry when ripe and contain only a few seeds.^[3]

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  Flower
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  Flower

Distribution

Echinocereus pulchellus is found in the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Hidalgo, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, and Nuevo León, growing on grassy patches at altitudes of 1800 to 2400 meters. Despite its large distribution area, populations are limited to narrow habitats.^[4][5]

Taxonomy

Originally described as Echinocactus pulchellus by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1832, the specific epithet pulchellus derives from the Latin word pulcher, meaning 'pretty'.^[6]