A small, clumping barrel cactus from the Gulf of California islands, grown for its showy pink, violet or white daytime flowers. Its key to success is sharp drainage, sun in winter, and protection from frost.
Family
Cactaceae (Cactus family)
Grows as
Succulent
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly from March to October, letting the soil dry fully between waterings, and water sparingly the rest of the year.
Soil
Fast-draining cactus or succulent mix in a deep pot with drainage holes.
Temperature
Comfortable in warm conditions; survives only short dips to -5 °C, so protect below about 5 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Mexico (Sonora: I. San Pedro Nolasco)
Climate
desert or dry shrubland
About
Echinocereus websterianus, commonly known as the San Pedro Nolasco hedgehog cactus or Webster's hedgehog cactus, is a species of cactus. It is named after American philanthropist Gertrude Webster, who cofounded the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.
How to grow it
This cactus is easily propagated, but its slow maturation complicates cultivation. It fetches a high price due to its showy flowers. In cultivation, it should be watered regularly between March and October, and given a deep pot to ensure adequate drainage. Strong sunlight overwinter is necessary to ensure flowering. It requires a greenhouse in cold climates, as it can only survive to −5 °C (23 °F) for short periods of time. It is very difficult to repot and shows handling marks with even a ginger touch. Instead it is preferable to simply cut off pups or the top of the plant and propagate those.
Where it grows
It is likely native to San Pedro Nolasco Island in the Gulf of California, though it may have some distribution in mainland Baja. It occurs on other islands in the Gulf of California, including Isla San Lorenzo Sur and Isla Las Ánimas growing on rocky slopes at elevations of up to 350 m. The plant is found growing along Agave chrysoglossa, Mammillaria multidigitata, and Opuntia bravoana.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Echinocereus websterianus 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.