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Description:
Clumping stems with 5 to
20 heads.
Stem: cylindrical to elongate, green,15-45 cm tall, 4-10 cm in
diameter.
Ribs: 8 to 10, not distinctly tuberculate.
Areoles: circular
Spines: Not obscuring the stem.
Central spines: Usually single (or sometimes 2 to 4, of which one
is
longer), grey to dark brown with darker tips, at right angles to the
stem, going upward at the stem tips, 2.5-8 cm long. The similar
E. engelmannii has 2 to 6
central spines per areole.
Radial spines: 11 to 13 shorter
ones, 1.5-2 cm long
ones.
Flowers: Borne on the upper part of the stem, broadly funnel-form,
pink to magenta or reddish purple, 5-6.5 cm long and in diameter.
Blooming phenology: Spring (march to April), flowers are diurnal,
closing at night and reopening in the morning, and last for about five days.
Fruit: Green, globose, fleshy, 2-3 cm in diameter, turning red as
it ripens. The fruit is edible (if you can reach
it through the
spines). It is said to taste like strawberries, and is eaten readily by
birds and rodents. Fruiting: May-July.
There are a
number of varieties of E. fascicualtus, but not all are universally
recognized. Some authorities recognize the following varieties:
E. fasciculatus ssp. fasciculatus has grayish central spines
that are 1-3 inches long.
E. fasciculatus ssp. boyce-thompsonii
has straw (yellow-tan), colored, and longer central central
spines, that are downward pointing
, and 2-10 cm long.
The flowers are
a very
deep purple.
E. fasciculatus ssp. bonkerae has fewer stems, and
is shorter.
Central
spines are 1,5-2,5 cm long,
and grayish-white.
The
flowers are also deep purple.
Most
of the plants in this group have 4 sets of chromosomes, but at least one variety includes individuals with 2 sets.
Cultivation: It grows
rather slowly and is sensitive to over-watering (rot prone).
It needs very good drainage to avoid rotting,
but requires more moisture than true desert cacti, to grow and
produce flowers. Keep
drier and cool in winter. It needs
full sun. It's cold
resistant to -10° (or less, depending on
clones) for short periods of time. It
is a fine plant for a
rock garden or container, and contrasts well with agaves, yuccas, and
low-growing flowering plants. It will show
its flowers only provided with an adequate winter rest
period.
Propagation: Seeds, can
also be grown from cuttings, as it branches
from the base.
Photo of conspecific taxa,
varieties, forms and cultivars of
plants belonging to the
Echinocereus engelmanni
complex
(This
Taxon
has lots of synonyms, with several controversial varieties and
subspecies, and comprises a multitude of different forms, but where each form
is linked to others by populations of plants with intermediate
characteristics):
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