''Echinocactus grusonii'' or ''Kroenleinia grusonii'', popularly known as the golden barrel cactus, golden ball or mother-in-law's cushion, is a species of

barrel cactus Barrel cacti are various members of the two genera ''Echinocactus'' and ''Ferocactus'', endemic to the deserts of Southwestern North America southward to north central Mexico. Some of the largest specimens are found in the Sonoran Desert in So ...

which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to east-central

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It is rare and

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

in the wild, where it is found near Mesa de León in the state of

Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...

, and in the state of

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

. The population was critically reduced in the 1990s, by the creation of the Zimapán Dam and reservoir in Hidalgo. The cactus grows in volcanic rock on slopes, at altitudes around .

Taxonomy

''Echinocactus grusonii'' belongs to the small genus ''

Echinocactus ''Echinocactus'' is a genus of cacti in the subfamily Cactoideae. The generic name derives from the Ancient Greek εχινος (''echinos''), meaning "spiny," and ''cactus''. It and ''Ferocactus'' are the two genera of barrel cactus. Members of ...

'', which together with the related genus ''

Ferocactus ''Ferocactus'' is a genus of large barrel-shaped cacti, mostly with large spines and small flowers. There are about 30 species included in the genus. They are found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Description The y ...

'', are commonly referred to as barrel cacti. The species was first described by German plantsman

Heinrich Hildmann Heinrich Hildmann (ca. 1845–after 1918) was a German plantsman who specialized in cactus. He trained as a gardener at the Haage and Schmidt nurseries in Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuring ...

in 1891. While sometimes referred to as golden ball, this species is not to be confused with '' Notocactus leninghausii'' which have fuzzy, harmless spines and are native to Brazil and Paraguay. Recent

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

studies have found that ''Echinocactus grusonii'' is probably

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

with respect to the rest of ''Echinocactus'', and is probably derived from hybrids between ''Echinocactus'' and ''

''. To correct this, ''Echinocactus grusonii'' has been moved to its own genus, and under this scheme the correct name would be ''Kroenleinia grusonii'' Lodé. However, not all authorities have accepted this move so far.

Description

Growing as a large roughly

spherical A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is the ce ...

globe, ''Echinocactus grusonii'' may eventually reach over in height after many years. Younger Golden Barrel plants do not look similar to mature specimens. The generation lifetime is estimated to be 30 years. There may be up to 35 pronounced ribs in mature plants, though they are not evident in young plants, which may have a knobbly appearance. The sharp spines are long, straight or slightly curved, and various shades of yellow or, occasionally, white. Small yellow

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s appear in summer around the crown of the plant, but only after twenty years or so.

Cultivation

''Echinocactus grusonii'' is widely cultivated by specialty

plant nurseries A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general p ...

as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

, for planting in

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

s, desert

habitat garden A wildlife garden (or wild garden) is an environment created by a gardener that serves as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater to native and local plants, birds, amphibians, ...

rock garden A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small A ...

s, and in conservatories.
. accessed 6.30.2013 A white-spined form, and a short-spined form, are also in cultivation. It is one of the most popular cacti in cultivation and has increasingly become popular as an architectural accent plant in contemporary garden designs. The cactus is considered easy and relatively fast growing in warmer climates around the world. The plants do have some basic requirements; an average minimum

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

temperature of 12 °C (53.6 °F); and good drainage with less watering in winter. Excess water in cool periods may lead to rot. Golden Barrels are hardy to about −8 °C (15 °F) for brief periods. Beyond Central Mexico, ''Echinocactus grusonii'' specimens may also be seen in collections of desert plants in many

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

s. In the UK it has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

’s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Gallery

File:Golden Barrel cactus, Huntington Desert Garden.jpg, Mature golden barrels showing their distinctive clustering habit. Photo from the

Huntington Desert Garden The Huntington Desert Garden is part of The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. The Desert Garden is one of the world's largest and oldest collections of cacti, succulents and other desert plants, c ...

in California. Asiento de suegra (Echinocactus grusonii), Jardín Botánico, Múnich, Alemania, 2013-09-08, DD 02.JPG, Closeup of the top. Image:Echinocactus grusonii spineless form.jpg, ''Echinocactus grusonii'', a nearly spineless form File:Echinocactus grusonii (detail) at the US Botanic Garden - Sept 2011.jpg, ''Echinocactus grusonii'' spine detail at the United States Botanic Gardens File:Golden Barrel Cactus (3D Crossview).jpg,

Stereoscopic Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the depth perception, illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stere ...

crossview of a golden barrel cactus. File:Echinocactus grusonii 12.JPG, Spine detail Image:Fiore.jpg, Flower detail File:Echinocactus grusonii 13.JPG, Fruit detail File:Echinocactus grusonii 24.JPG, Seeds File:Kalimpong Flora and Fauna8.jpg, Mature golden barrel in cluster form in a greenhouse in

Kalimpong Kalimpong (Hindi: कलिम्पोंग) is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The re ...

References

External links