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Pediocactus bradyi
Also called Brady's pincushion cactus, Brady's hedgehog cactus, Brady's Pediocactus
Brady's pincushion cactus is a tiny, globe-shaped desert cactus native to a small area of northern Arizona and federally listed as endangered. It is extremely rare and should be left in the wild; cultivation is best limited to licensed, reputable sources, grown in fast-draining gritty soil with strong sun and very little water.
Pediocactus bradyi is a very rare species of cactus known by the common names Brady's pincushion cactus, Brady's hedgehog cactus, and Marble Canyon cactus. It is endemic to Arizona in the US, where it is restricted to Marble Canyon in Coconino County, though its exact distribution is not generally advertised due to poaching concerns. It is limited to a specific type of soil, it has a small distribution, and the species is threatened by a number of human activities. This has been a federally listed endangered species of the United States since 1979.
Pediocactus bradyi is native to Coconino County, Arizona, where it thrives on level hills adorned with limestone gravel at altitudes ranging from 900 to 1300 meters. The cactus grows on sandstone and shale land originating from the Moenkopi Formation, a geologic formation. This rock is covered in chips and gravel of Kaibab limestone, forming the plant's substrate. It is not found in any other soil types. It grows alongside plants such as shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia), snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), and Mormon tea (Ephedra viridis). This plant is commonly found in the company of Sclerocactus parviflorus, Navajoa peeblesiana subsp. fickeiseniorum, Echinocactus polycephalus var. xeranthemoides, Echinocereus engelmannii var. variegatus, Opuntia nicholii, Opuntia basilaris, and various Yucca species.
Pediocactus bradyi subsp. despainii · Knowlton's miniature cactus · Simpson's Hedgehog Cactus · Kaibab pincushion cactus · Navajo pincushion cactus · Siler's Pincushion Cactus · Mountain ball cactus · Pediocactus bradyi subsp. winkleri · Pincushion cactus
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pediocactus bradyi 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.
