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Echinocereus
Also called Hedgehog Cacti, Hedgehog Cactuses
Echinocereus is a genus of about 70 small to medium, ribbed, cylindrical cacti native to the southern United States and Mexico, commonly grown as hedgehog cacti. The key to growing them is full sun, very well-drained soil, and a cool, dry winter rest to encourage flowering.
Echinocereus is a genus of ribbed, usually small to medium-sized, cylindrical shaped cacti, comprising about 70 species native to the southern United States and Mexico in very sunny, rocky places. Usually the flowers are large and the fruit edible.
The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἐχῖνος (echinos), meaning "sea urchin", and the Latin cereus meaning "candle". They are sometimes known as hedgehog cacti, a term also used for the Pediocactus and Echinopsis.
Echinocereus spp. are easier to cultivate than many other cacti. They need light soil, a sunny exposure, and a fresh and dry winter to flower. They grow better in soil slightly richer than other cacti. In the wild, several of the species are cold hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as −23 °C, but only in dry conditions.
Spiny hedgehog cactus · Lace hedgehog cactus · Echinocereus scheeri · Echinocereus subinermis
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Echinocereus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
