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Shorthook fishhook cactus

Sclerocactus brevihamatus

Also called Engelmann's Fishhook Cactus

Shorthook fishhook cactus
Photo: Süleyman Demir, CC BY 2.0

A small, globose, dark-green to grey cactus from the desert scrub of southwest Texas and northern Mexico, listed as endangered. Grow it as a true desert cactus in very sharp, gritty soil with strong light and very little water.

Family
Cactaceae (Cactus family)
Grows as
Succulent
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly during the warm growing season and keep it nearly dry in winter.
Soil
Very fast-draining gritty mix, such as cactus compost with added grit or pumice, slightly alkaline.
Temperature
18–35 °C in the growing season; keep dry and above about 5 °C in winter, as it tolerates light frost when dry.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
SW. Texas to Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León)
Climate
desert or dry shrubland

About

Sclerocactus brevihamatus is a species of cactus known by the common name shorthook fishhook cactus.

It is endemic to Texas, and is an endangered species. Threats to the species and subspecies include collecting and development in its habitat.

Where it grows

Sclerocactus brevihamatus grows in shallow, gravel and clay soils. It prefers slightly alkaline soils, and often grows in soils heavy with limestone sediments. Its natural habitat is open areas with sparse vegetation, such as hilltops, floodplains, and rocky plains.

Other Sclerocactus plants

Fishhook Cactuses · Pariette cactus · Sclerocactus johnsonii subsp. erectocentrus · Uinta Basin hookless cactus · Johnson's Barrel Cactus · Golfball Cactus · Mesa Verde fishhook cactus · Paperspine fishhook cactus · Redspined fishhook cactus · Great Basin fishhook cactus · Siler's pincushion cactus · Uinta Basin Hookless Cactus

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sclerocactus brevihamatus 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.

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