''Echinomastus erectocentrus'' is a species of

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

known by the common names redspine fishhook cactus,''Echinomastus erectocentrus''.
USDA Plants Profile. redspine butterfly cactus,''Sclerocactus erectocentrus''.
The Nature Conservancy. acuña cactus, needle-spine pineapple cactus, red pineapple cactus, and purple-spine viznagita. It is native to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

in the United States and

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

in Mexico. This cactus grows up to about 34 centimeters tall by 10 wide. There are many spines on each

areole In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cacti out of which grow clusters of spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cacti, and identify them as a family distinct from other succulent plants. Gordon Rowley - W ...

, the central ones up to 4.4 centimeters in length. The spines are purple, pink, or white with brown tips. The flower is up to 6 centimeters long by 9 wide and has white, pink, or lavender

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s with greenish, brown, or reddish coloration at the bases. This species is similar to ''

Echinomastus johnsonii ''Echinomastus johnsonii'' (Synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Sclerocactus johnsonii'') is a species of cactus known by the common names Johnson's beehive cactus and Johnson's fishhook cactus. It is native to the southwestern United States from eastern ...

''.''Echinomastus erectocentrus''.
Flora of North America. It is the first cactus to bloom in

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a U.S. national monument and UNESCO biosphere reserve located in extreme southern Arizona that shares a border with the Mexican state of Sonora. The park is the only place in the United States where the ...

, flowering in early March. This species grows on

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. There are two

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

, var. ''acunensis'' and var. ''erectocentrus''. These are not easily told apart using morphological characteristics, but they occur in different geographical areas. The former occurs in northern Sonora and north to

Florence, Arizona , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = Main Street original town-site of Florence Arizona National Register of Historic Places.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Main Street of the original town ...

, and the latter occurs around

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

and areas east.''Echinomastus erectocentrus''.
Center for Plant Conservation.

Conservation

''E. e.'' var. ''acunensis'' (referred to as the acuña cactus) is recognized as an endangered species under the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...

. The main threat to this taxa is failure to recruit new individuals to the population by successful germination of seeds and survival of seedlings. Though the population is currently stable, if no new plants can be grown in the wild, the population is expected to crash around 2070. Unlike similar species, it is not expected to be strongly affected by the

effects of climate change The effects of climate change impact the physical environment, ecosystems and human societies. The environmental effects of climate change are broad and far-reaching. They affect the water cycle, oceans, sea and land ice (glaciers), sea level ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1280470 Cactoideae Flora of Arizona Flora of New Mexico Flora of Sonora Cacti of the United States Cacti of Mexico Endangered flora of North America