Cactus family. This genus includes about 70 species of the most diverse cacti in appearance, originally from Mexico and the USA. Echinocereuses have an average or slow growth rate. A feature of the genus Echinocereus is the presence of areoles on the bud with a set of spines, and given the length of the bud (up to 10 cm), it looks quite prickly, hence the name: "Echinus" - "hedgehog."
Many species of echinocereus are characterized by a comb-like arrangement of radial spines, they look like numerous spider legs, or cilia, located on two sides of the areola, while they are often bent, pressed against the body of the cactus.
Echinocereus is the hardest Echinocereus rigidissimus - with a cylindrical straight stem, about 7-10 cm in diameter. Central spines are absent. Radial spines in the amount of 15-23 pieces are located in the areoles comb (spider) - slightly bent to the body of the cactus. The spines are cream, almost white, in the v. rubrispinus variation - spines 30-35 and they are red. Often radial spines are colored differently - stripes of pink-colored spines alternate with white or golden. Areoles are bristly, golden brown. The flowers are about 10 cm in diameter, bright pink or purple. The berries are spiky brown, about 3 cm in diameter. The species is not the easiest to grow, prone to root and stem rot at the slightest waterlogging. For successful flowering, a cold, dry wintering is required.
Echinocereus clubless Echinocereus subinermis - native to Central Mexico, has a cylindrical stem up to 20 cm long in a young cactus light green, darkens over time, then takes on a purple tint. Ribs from 5 to 11, areoles are small, slightly bristly, central spines are often absent, but in some subspecies they are from 1 to 4. Radial spines 3-8, sometimes smaller, short 1-7 mm, gray-brown. The flowers are large, up to 12 cm in diameter, lemon yellow. Blooms from about the age of four, the flower lasts for a week. The species is completely frost-resistant, in nature it briefly withstands at least minus 1-2 ° C, protection from the midday sun is required.
Echinocereus scarlet Echinocereus coccineus - has a cylindrical dark green stem about 5-6 cm in diameter, shrub in the lower part of the stem. Ribs 8-11, shallow, weakly expressed. Radial spines from 5 to 20, they are yellowish gray, about 6 cm long; central spines 1-4, they are slightly longer than radial ones up to 7 cm. Although there are varieties with different numbers of spines, for example, Echinocereus coccineus subsp. rosei - has 12-14 ribs, the central spine is only one, straight, somewhat longer and darker than the radial, of which about 10, they are slightly curved, gray-brown in color.
Echinocereus coccineus flowers from orange-yellow (AG11) *, to rich pink, lilac (subsp. rosei SB (Steve Brack) 0236) *, 8 cm long, about 3 cm wide. The plant is dioecious - has male and female flowers. This species is sensitive to overflow, but more moisture-loving than desert cacti. Frost-resistant, in natural conditions tolerates short-term frosts up to -20 ° С. This species of echinocereus can be used as rootstock for other cactus species .
* many cacti, the seeds of which enter the flower (cactus) market from pickers - people studying cacti in their historical homeland (for example, somewhere in the New Mexico desert), giving a thorough description of their appearance, accurate location, and collecting seeds for further distribution. Each collector assigns field numbers to the described cactus: the letter part (acronym) is the encryption of the name (for example, AG - Alan Gilmore, or several names) and the digital code under which the seeds appear later. The species Echinocereus coccineus is popular with collectors and collectors of cacti, many plants have been found that differ in flower color and other signs. For example, E. coccineus Steve Brack alone described more than 40 specimens.
Echinocereus triglochidiatus - the stems are initially spherical, then cylindrical. The species is very variable, the subspecies are very different in appearance. Ribs from 5 to 12, spines: radial usually up to 10. color from yellowish to almost black, central to 4. In some varieties, the spines are small - about 1.5 cm, in others huge 8-9 cm radial and up to 12 cm central. What they have in common: unlike other echinocereuses, the flowers do not last a day, but two or three days.
Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. mojavensis originally from the Mojave Desert - erect stems, 10 ribs, spines flat, curved, up to 5 cm long. The bodies of an adult cactus are practically invisible - it is completely covered with spines, 1 central spine is almost indistinguishable from radial, it is slightly longer than the rest, only 6-8, in white fluffy areoles. Over time, it forms dense curtains from a cluster of 50-100 cacti. The flowers are orange-red, solitary about 8 cm in diameter. This cactus is easy to care for, needs a cool wintering, frost-resistant .
Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. mojavensis f. inermis - originally from the territory of Manzano (Mexico) - the spherical body begins to branch at a young age, gradually growing into a colony. Ribs 7-9, rounded, with small papillae, areoles white, fluffy practically devoid of thorns, thorns if there are, then short 2-5 pieces, 1-5 mm long, the peculiarity of this variation is that the buds do not appear from the areola, but just above it, and after flowering, deep scars remain on the skin. The variety is very unpretentious, extremely frost-resistant (up to -25 ° C) and quite moisture-loving in the summer.
Echinocereus Reichenbach Echinocereus reichenbachii - cactus of quite diverse habitats - its homeland extends from the southwestern United States (Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas) to northeastern Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas), and it grows in the Chihuahua Desert and on the plains of Texas, and on the rocky foothills at an altitude of up to 1,500 m above sea level. The stem is cylindrical, single at first, inclined to branch with age, 8-25 cm in length and 2.5-9 cm in width, ribs 10-19, they are straight or slightly curved, radial spines 20-36, arranged comb-spider, on two sides of the areola, while they are slightly bent, pressed to the body of the cactus. Central ones are usually absent, some variations have 4-7 pieces (Echinocereus reichenbachii ssp. armatus). Flowers are bright pink with a purple tint, up to 10 cm in diameter. The buds are covered with hairs, setae and spines. There is no clear separation among Echinocereus reichenbachii species or intraspecific taxa.
Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. armatus - has 15-20 ribs, 2-4 long straight central spines, up to 3 cm long, light brown below, dark brown at the ends. The radial spines are short white, up to 23 pieces are arranged comb-like - "spiders." Areoles are white, fluffy.
Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. baileyi is a subspecies, previously isolated as an independent species. It has at least 16 radial spines of white or brownish color, they are straight, up to 3 cm long and thin, protrude in all directions, there are no central spines. Areoles are white, bristly. Flowers up to 12 cm in diameter.
Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. albispinus is a popular cactus variety, a transitional variation between Echinocereus reichenbachii var. baileyi и var. caespitosus. "Spiders" of radial spines are white, central spines are absent. The flowers are pink about 7 cm in diameter. Sometimes cacti of this subspecies, especially at a young age, resemble cacti of the species Echinocereus rigidissimus, but a significant difference is noticeable immediately - in E. reichenbachii ssp. albispinus areoles are always white, and in the species E. rigidissimus even in cactus with white spines, golden-hued halos.
Echinocereus reichembachii var. albertii - a small cactus only 5-15 cm tall, ribs 10-13, no central spines, or 1-3 pieces are barely noticeable no more than 3 mm long, radial spines up to 20, they are short, no more than 3-6 mm long, located comb "spiders." Areoles are white fluffy, located very closely - they practically touch each other. The flowers are purple, dark purple on the inside, up to 7 cm in diameter .
Echinocereus care
Temperature: In summer, the usual room, it is advisable to take cacti to fresh air, in a place protected from wind and rain. If it is not possible to put cacti on the balcony or in the garden, you need to ventilate the room as often as possible, it is advisable to open the window at night to ensure maximum access of fresh air and daily temperature changes.
In winter, echinocereuses should have a rest period at a temperature of 8-10 ° C, not higher than 12 ° C, at least + 5 ° C, with dry content. Despite the fact that among echinocereus there are very frost-resistant species that withstand severe winters up to -20-25 ° C in nature, potted plants should not be exposed to subzero temperatures. Ideally, the dormant period should continue until flowering, which usually occurs in February - March, this coincides with an increase in sunny days.
Lighting: Bright lighting in both winter and summer, most echinocereus grow well only in full sun, on the south window. The only exception is echinocereuses with rare and small spines (for example, Echinocereus subinermis) - such cacti are accustomed to the sun gradually, especially after winter, and in summer they are partially shaded during the hottest hours of the day with a mosquito net.
Watering: Moderate in spring and summer, shrinks from autumn, and in winter, with cold maintenance, plants should do without watering. The water is preferably rainwater, filtered or boiled. During the dormant period, slight puckering of the cactus stalk is allowed. When buds appear and the temperature rises to + 14-15 ° C, cacti can not be watered, but sprayed with boiled water with pulverized spray from a sprayer, preventing the formation of drops on the stem of the cactus .
Fertilizer: From April to August, adult cacti are fed with special fertilizer for cacti. You can also use fertilizer for orchids (in the recommended dose), it is highly undesirable to use nitrogen fertilizers for ordinary indoor plants - in this case, it is advisable to transplant the cactus into a fresh substrate than to use such fertilizer.
Air humidity: Echinocereus is resistant to dry air. But regular spraying with warm water from a very fine sprayer is useful throughout the growing season (until September). Spraying should not be drip, but in the form of a fog. In natural conditions, in places where echinocereuses grow, abundant dew falls daily, but this often spoils the species of the plant - contact with water leads to the formation of sampling, and echinocereuses are extremely susceptible to stem and root rot. Therefore, in order to preserve the decorative and healthy appearance of the plant, only foggy spraying is allowed.
Transplant: The soil should be well drained, and nutritious enough, so universal peat soil, which is sold in the store, is not suitable. It is possible to make a soil mixture of the following components: 1 part of the sod earth (sifted from sod, or from mole heaps), 1 part of coarse river sand, 1 part of brick crumbs, 1 part of fine gravel (2-3 mm). Plus a few pieces of birch coals. Young plants are transplanted annually, old (more than 5 years) after two years.
Reproduction: By seeds and cuttings. It should be remembered that to reproduce an accurate clone, only vegetative reproduction can be used, fortunately, most echinocereuses cluster well, forming lateral shoots in the lower part of the trunk.
Echinocereuses are mostly frost-resistant cacti, for which it is natural to feel daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations, it is advisable to stratify the seeds before sowing - to withstand about 1 month at a temperature of about + 4-5 ° C (in the refrigerator). Seeds are sown in late summer - in August, in a mixture of leafy land and bathing river sand in equal parts. Crops must be covered with glass or film, put in a warm and bright place, regularly sprayed and ventilated. Kids-cacti will spend the whole winter in a greenhouse, if necessary - with additional light.