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Home/Species/ Fendler's Hedgehog Cactus

Echinocereus fendleri

(Engelm.) F. Seitz

Fendler's Hedgehog Cactus

G4Apparently Secure (G4G5) Found in 46 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
PSESA Status
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.130027
Element CodePDCAC06060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix II
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCaryophyllales
FamilyCactaceae
GenusEchinocereus
USESAPS
Other Common Names
Pink-flower Hedgehog Cactus (EN) pinkflower hedgehog cactus (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Review Date1993-02-08
Change Date1993-02-08
Edition Date1988-01-28
Edition AuthorsLAMBERT, A.
Range Extent20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Known throughout the southwestern United States and into Mexico.
Range Extent Comments
It occurs in the U.S. in western Arizona, Colorado, western New Mexico, extreme southwestern Texas, and southern Colorado. In Mexico, it occurs in Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora (Hernandez et al. 2004).
Occurrences Comments
100 EO's cited in Benson (1982).
Threat Impact Comments
Most cacti subject to horticultural collecting.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Sandy, gravelly soils of grasslands, woodlands, and edges of deserts from 3,000-7,900 feet (900-2,400 m) elevation (Hauser 2008). It occurs on dry plains and hills, rocky, open, south-facing slopes, and in canyon bottoms and occupies sandy, rocky, or gravelly soils derived from limestone or igneous parent materials (Flora of North America 2003; Weber 1987; Bowers and McLaughlin 1987; Martin and Hutchins 1981).

Ecology

Throughout its range, this cactus occurs in desert grasslands, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and other desert shrubland communities, pinyon-juniper (Pinus-Juniperus spp.) woodlands dominated mostly by Colorado pinyon (P. edulis) and oneseed juniper (J. monosperma), and pine-oak (Quercus spp.) woodlands (Thomas and Goodson 1992).

This cactus recovers from fire by producing apical offsets or establishing from the soil seed bank (Sivinski 2007). In a southern Arizona study, pinkflower hedgehog cactus survival was high following wildfires on 4 desert grassland sites. Survival of the cactus was 73% on burned sites. Approximately 74% of damaged plants recovered through apical growth, 5% by offsets, and 11% by apical growth and offsets. There were no seedlings (Thomas and Goodson 1992).

Reproduction

Dispersal of Echinocereus fendleri seed is likely by animals, wind and/or water (Hauser 2008). While there is a paucity of species-specific information on seed dispersal, it is known within the genus of Echinocereus that mammals do eat and disperse their seeds. Ringtails, and gray foxes are known to eat the fruits of cacti species in Echinocereus (Willson 1993).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoS4Yes
ColoradoS2Yes
ArizonaS3Yes
TexasSNRYes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (46)
Arizona (16)
AreaForestAcres
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
Hell HoleApache-Sitgreaves National Forests15,512
Hot AirApache-Sitgreaves National Forests31,712
Lower RinconCoronado National Forest3,278
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
PipestemApache-Sitgreaves National Forests34,598
Santa RitaCoronado National Forest6,078
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Upper Rincon RoadlessCoronado National Forest2,991
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
WinchesterCoronado National Forest13,459
New Mexico (30)
AreaForestAcres
Apache Kid ContiguousCibola National Forest67,542
Arroyo de los FrijolesSanta Fe National Forest5,277
Brushy MountainGila National Forest7,199
Capitan MountainsLincoln National Forest14,069
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
Devils CreekGila National Forest89,916
Dry CreekGila National Forest26,719
El InviernoSanta Fe National Forest29,927
Frisco BoxGila National Forest38,979
Gila BoxGila National Forest23,759
Hell HoleGila National Forest19,553
Ladrones Mesa RNASanta Fe National Forest701
LemitasSanta Fe National Forest8,129
Little Dog And Pup CanyonsLincoln National Forest25,412
Lower San FranciscoGila National Forest26,460
Madre MountainCibola National Forest19,839
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
Poverty CreekGila National Forest8,770
Ryan HillCibola National Forest34,201
San JoseCibola National Forest16,950
Sawyers PeakGila National Forest59,743
Scott MesaCibola National Forest39,515
Sierra Negra Rare II Study AreaCarson National Forest9,470
The HubGila National Forest7,498
Virgin CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,068
Wagon TongueGila National Forest11,411
Wahoo MountainGila National Forest23,122
White CapCibola National Forest8,036
References (14)
  1. Anderson, E. F. 2001. The Cactus Family. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 760 pp.
  2. Bowers, J.E. and S.P. McLaughlin. 1987. Flora and vegetation of the Rincon Mountains, Pima County, Arizona. Desert Plants 8(2): 51-94.
  3. Cota, J.H. 1993. Pollination syndromes in the genus <i>Echinocereus</i>: a review. Cactus and Succulent Journal 65: 19-26.
  4. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2003b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 4, Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 559 pp.
  5. Hauser, A. S. 2008. <i>Echinocereus fendleri</i>. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [2011, January 24].
  6. Hernandez, H.M., C. Gomez-Hinostrosa, and B. Goettsch. 2004. Checklist of Chihuahuan desert Cactaceae. Harvard Papers in Botany 9(1):51-68.
  7. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  8. Martin, W.C., and C.R. Hutchins. 1980-1981. A flora of New Mexico. 2 vols. J. Cramer, in der A.R. Gantner Verlag, K.G., Vaduz, Liechtenstein. 2591 pp.
  9. Sivinski, Robert C. 2007. Effects of a natural fire on a Kuenzler's hedgehog cactus (<i>Echinocereus fendleri</i> var. <i>kuenzleri</i>) and nylon hedgehog cactus (<i>Echinocereus viridiflorus</i>) population in Southeastern New Mexico. In: Barlow-Irick, P.; Anderson, J.; McDonald, C., tech eds. Southwestern rare and endangered plants: Proceedings of the Fourth Conference; March 22-26, 2004; Las Cruces, New Mexico. Proceedings. RMRS-P-48CD. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 93-97. [http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_p048/rmrs_p048_093_097.pdf]
  10. Thomas, P. A. and P. Goodson. 1992. Conservation of succulents in desert grasslands managed by fire. Biological Conservation 60(2):91-100.
  11. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2017. Reclassifying <i>Echinocereus fendleri </i>var. <i>kuenzleri </i>from Endangered to Threatened. Proposed rule and 12-month petition finding. Federal Register 82(4): 1677-1684.
  12. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2018. Reclassifying <i>Echinocereus fendleri </i>var. <i>kuenzleri </i>from Endangered to Threatened. Final Rule. Federal Register 83(92): 21928-21936.
  13. Weber, W.A. 1987. Colorado flora: Western slope. Colorado Associated University Press. Boulder. 530 pp.
  14. Willson, M. F. 1993. Mammals as seed-dispersal mutualists in North America. Oikos 67: 159-176.