Echinocactus platyacanthus

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Echinocactus platyacanthus - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Echinocactus platyacanthus

Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Echinocactus
Species:	E. platyacanthus
Binomial name
*Echinocactus platyacanthus* Link & Otto

Echinocactus platyacanthus is a member of the cactus family Cactaceae. It is also known as the giant barrel cactus, golden barrel cactus, giant viznaga, or biznaga de dulce,^[2] and its Nahuatl (Aztec) name is huitzli nahual.^{[citation needed]}. It is native to central Mexico in the Chihuahuan Desert.^[1] This species is the largest of the barrel cacti. In Mexico, its hairs are often used for weaving; and acitrón, a traditional Mexican candy, is produced by boiling the cactus pith.

Description

This slow-growing species can reach sizes up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) tall and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) wide and can live over a hundred years. Previous records show that some specimens grow to almost 1.2 m (4 ft) in thickness.^[3] What is probably the largest cactus living today is the one called "Goliat" at the "Area natural de Daxpe", in the municipio de Cadereyta, Querétaro State, Mexico. It is 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) in height, at least 0.9 m (3 ft) thick and weighs about 3 metric tons (6,600 lb).^[4] Another one at Ixmiquilpan, Mexico has a measured diameter of 120 cm (3 ft 11 in) and is 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) high.^[5] Britton and Rose reported a specimen (with photograph) which was 1.33 m (4 ft 4 in) thick, by 10 ft (3 m) in height and weighed 2,000 kg (4,400 lb).^[6]

Their stems come in gray-ish blue color and the straight, rigid spines are black. The apex of the cactus is flat and covered with a yellow felt-like substance. They are heavily ribbed, with 25 to 30 vertical ribs, and have large areoles. Their diurnal, tubular flowers bloom at the end of spring to summer and are a vivid yellow color; they grow to about 2 cm (0.79 in) in height and 3 cm (1.2 in) in width.^[7] The fruit is about 3 cm (1.2 in) long and is covered by a hairy wool.^[8]

Gallery

Echinocactus platyacanthus at 16 days
At 14 cm
Inflorescence
In natural habitat

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Echinocactus platyacanthus.

^ ^a ^b Hernández, H.M.; Cházaro, M.; Gómez-Hinostrosa, C. (2017). "Echinocactus platyacanthus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T152537A121477917. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T152537A121477917.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
^ "Giant Barrel Cactus, Biznaga Gigante Echinocactus platyacanthus". Dave's Garden. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
^ "Photographic image" (JPG). S3.amazonaws.com. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^ "Photographic image" (JPG). Pbs.twimg.com. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^ Coulter, John M. (April 1, 1896). "Preliminary Revision of the No. American Species of Echinocactus, Cereus and Opuntia". Cotrib. To the United States Nat'l Herbarium. 3 (7): 83 plus photo plate XVIII B.
^ Britton, Nathaniel; Rose, Joseph (1963). Cactaceae - Volume III (reprint). New York: Dover Press. p. 170.
^ "Echinocactus platyacanthus". CACTUS ART NURSERY. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
^ "Echinocactus ingens". Cactus Art. Retrieved 7 December 2013.

Taxon identifiers
Echinocactus platyacanthus	Wikidata: Q239734 Wikispecies: Echinocactus platyacanthus ARKive: echinocactus-platyacanthus CoL: 38GHL EoL: 5183437 EPPO: EHNPL GBIF: 7279711 iNaturalist: 207186 IPNI: 132080-1 ITIS: 908205 IUCN: 152537 NCBI: 130113 Open Tree of Life: 493241 Plant List: kew-2782169 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:132080-1 Species+: 24988 Tropicos: 5105048 WFO: wfo-0000660808

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