Echinocactus polycephalus var. polycephalus

Barrel cactus

Family: Cactaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Barrel cactus is a native perennial found in the Mojave and northern Colorado Desert in rocky hills and silty valleys at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from March to August, this cactus produces bright yellow flowers approximately 5 centimeters wide with distinctive red to straw-colored spines. Growing as a generally spheric plant with multiple stems, it features 6 to 14 spreading radial spines that are 3 to 4.5 centimeters long and slightly curved. Its spines range from red to gray, initially appearing whitish and spreading outward in a distinctive pattern. The plant produces small seeds that are 2.8 to 4.7 millimeters long, rounded or faceted with a papillate-roughened surface.

Habitat: Rocky hills, silty valleys

Bloom period: Mar-Aug

Elevation: < 1400 m

Bioregions: DMoj, n DSon

California counties: Riverside, Imperial, San Bernardino, Inyo, San Diego

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.