''Ferocactus'' is a genus of large barrel-shaped

cacti 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 Gree ...

, mostly with large spines and small

flowers 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 mechanism ...

. There are about 30 species included in the genus. They are found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Description

The young specimens are columnar but as they grow older ribs form and they take on a barrel form. Most of the species are solitary but some, such as '' Ferocactus robustus'' and '' F. glaucescens'', have clustering habits. The flowers are pink, yellow, red or purple depending on the species, and the petals sometimes have a stripe of a darker colour.

Habitat

They are

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

dwellers and can cope with some frost and intense heat. The typical habitat is hot and very arid, and the plants have adapted to exploit water movement to concentrate their biomass in areas where water is likely to be present. Like ''

Sclerocactus ''Sclerocactus'' ("hard cactus", from Greek; refers to the hard, dry fruit) is a genus of cacti. It comprises about 15 species, the exact number depending on the authority. These species are very xerophytic. They are sometimes called 'fishhook ...

'', ''Ferocactus'' typically grow in areas where water flows irregularly or depressions where water can accumulate for short periods of time. They are most often found growing along arroyos (washes) where their

seeds A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm ...

have been subjected to

scarification Scarification involves scratching, etching, burning/branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification or body art. The body modification can take roughly 6–12 months to heal. In the ...

due to water movement, but they oddly also tend to grow along ridges in spots where depressions have formed and can hold water for some period of time.

Adaptations

''Ferocactus'' have very shallow root systems and are easily uprooted during flash floods. The "fishhook" spines and the armored web of spines enclosing the cactus body in many species of this genus are adaptations which allow the plant to move to more favorable locations. The seeds germinate in areas where water movement occurs or in areas where standing water accumulates for some period of time, and during

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing ...

s, the hooked spines allow the plants to be caught on waterborne debris, uprooted and carried to areas where water tends to accumulate.

Cultivation

In cultivation ''Ferocactus'' require full sun, little water, and good drainage. They are popular as

houseplants A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

. They cannot tolerate freezing temperatures for extended periods, which typically cause them to yellow, bleach, then slowly die.

Propagation Propagation can refer to: *Chain propagation in a chemical reaction mechanism *Crack propagation, the growth of a crack during the fracture of materials * Propaganda, non-objective information used to further an agenda * Reproduction, and other for ...

is usually from seeds, but clustering species such as '' Ferocactus robustus'' and '' F. glaucescens'' can be propagated by removing a rooted offset and planting it.

Ecology

Many ferocactus species are ant plants, exuding nectar along the upper meristem from

extrafloral nectaries Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualis ...

above each areole, and hosting ant colonies.

Species

Formerly placed here

* '' Sclerocactus brevihamatus tobuschii'' (W.T.Marshall) N.P.Taylor (as ''F. tobuschii'' (W.T.Marshall) N.P.Taylor) * ''

Sclerocactus glaucus ''Sclerocactus glaucus'' is a rare species of cactus known by the common name Colorado hookless cactus. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is known only from the area between Grand Junction and Montrose.

'' (K.Schum.) L.D.Benson (as ''F. glaucus'' (K.Schum.) N.P.Taylor) * '' Sclerocactus mesae-verdae'' (Boissev. & C. Davidson) L.D.Benson (as ''F. mesae-verdae'' (Boissev. & C.Davidson) N.P.Taylor) * '' Sclerocactus pubispinus'' (Engelm.) L.D.Benson (as ''F. pubispinus'' (Engelm.) N.P.Taylor)

References

* The species list is referenced in part fro
cactiguide.com
which is in turn referenced from several books which are listed on that site. The principal book listed there is The Cactus Family by Edward F. Anderson, (2001).

External links

Die Gattung Ferocactus
(in German) {{Authority control Cactoideae genera