Chisos Mountains Hedgehog Cactus

(Echinocereus chisoensis var. chisoensis)

Date of Listing: Threatened, 1988

© Photo courtesy Paul M. Montgomery

Usually the plants are found in the sparse amount of shade offered by creosote bushes and other shrubs of the Chihuahuan Desert. Such shrubs are referred to as nurse plants. What nurse plants offer to a species such as the Chisos Mountain Hedgehog Cactus is a slightly moister environment for seed germination and seedling establishment. Without nurse plants, there would be even fewer Chisos Mountain Hedgehog Cacti.

Note: Special thanks to the photographers for providing images of Texas endangered and threatened plants. All rights to these images are reserved. Educational use permitted.

Although this species is somewhat inconspicuous when not in flower, the large, bright pink flowers are a target not only for insects but also for cactus collectors.

Size:

Cactus with cylindrical, mostly single stems to 8 inches tall.

Habitat (where it lives):

Low elevation desert grasslands or sparsely vegetated shrublands on gravelly flats and terraces within the Chihuahuan Desert.

Range (where found in Texas):

Brewster County.

Reproduction:

Flowering March-July; fruit maturing from May-August.

Population Numbers:

Known from about a dozen sites, all within Big Bend National Park.