RELATED SEARCHES
Sponsored Hedgehog Cactus Results:
Hedgehog Cactus: Cacti Plants And Cactus Flowers
By:
Published: August 28, 2007
If anyone has ever had the unfortunate experience of wandering lost through a desert, the flower of the Hedgehog cactus might be a welcome sight. The Hedgehog cactus blooms in the late spring and summer months, from April to June. Unlike other cactus flowers, the flowers of the Hedgehog cactus stay open at night, making it easier to spot in a landscape populated by many cacti.
Lost desert wanderers would be thrilled to learn the fruit from the Hedgehog cactus is not only fleshy, but also edible, and often delicious. The fruits of these cacti are red when mature and ready to eat. However, be careful of spines; it is best, and easiest, to burn the pointy tips off the fruit before eating. Flower stems can also be eaten, but they need a little help to taste appetizing. Native Americans burn off the spines of the flower stems, mash them, add sugar, and bake them to make sweet cakes.
The stems of the Hedgehog cacti are green, and the cacti lack leaves. The Hedgehog cactus is shaped like a cylinder and can have many heads. These cylinders, which grow clumped together, may be up to one foot long and are an average of one and a half inches thick. Hungry or interested people must beware of the many needles that give the Hedgehog cactus its name; as these plants sport both central and radial spines. The central spines are longer and could be curved, while the radial spines remain closer to the body of the cactus plants.
Although Crimson Hedgehog cacti are the most well known, 45 different species of the plant actually exist. Stunning cactus flowers grow from all of these cacti; the Crimson species boasts deep red petals. Other Hedgehog cacti flowers are pink, lavender and even green. Hedgehog cacti are sometimes called Claret Cup Cacti thanks to their unique flowers, which grow in the shape of a cup.
These unique cup-shaped flowers can be found in a variety of places. The Hedgehog cactus thrives in gravelly soils. They are often found among rocks in central Mexico and the Western United States. The Echinocereus viridiflorus species grows the farthest north; some can be found as far as Wyoming and South Dakota.
Hedgehog cactus plants differ greatly from the giant cartoon cacti with three upward prongs. Instead, these cacti feature smaller arms and longer needles. They also present beautiful and unique flowers. Finding one in a desert may even provide a person with a surprise snack thanks to the edible fruit produced by the hedgehog cactus.
Sources:
Crimson Hedgehog Cactus. BluePlanetBiomes.com. 2007. 22 Aug. 2007. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/crimson_Hedgehog_c actus.htm
"Hedgehog cactus." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 22 Aug. 2007. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9039791/Hedge hog-cactus
Hedgehog or Claret Cup Cactus Echinocereus triglochidiatus Cactaceae Cactus Family. DesertUSA. 2007. 22 Aug. 2007. http://www.desertusa.com/mag00/mar/papr/hhog.html
Lost desert wanderers would be thrilled to learn the fruit from the Hedgehog cactus is not only fleshy, but also edible, and often delicious. The fruits of these cacti are red when mature and ready to eat. However, be careful of spines; it is best, and easiest, to burn the pointy tips off the fruit before eating. Flower stems can also be eaten, but they need a little help to taste appetizing. Native Americans burn off the spines of the flower stems, mash them, add sugar, and bake them to make sweet cakes.
The stems of the Hedgehog cacti are green, and the cacti lack leaves. The Hedgehog cactus is shaped like a cylinder and can have many heads. These cylinders, which grow clumped together, may be up to one foot long and are an average of one and a half inches thick. Hungry or interested people must beware of the many needles that give the Hedgehog cactus its name; as these plants sport both central and radial spines. The central spines are longer and could be curved, while the radial spines remain closer to the body of the cactus plants.
Although Crimson Hedgehog cacti are the most well known, 45 different species of the plant actually exist. Stunning cactus flowers grow from all of these cacti; the Crimson species boasts deep red petals. Other Hedgehog cacti flowers are pink, lavender and even green. Hedgehog cacti are sometimes called Claret Cup Cacti thanks to their unique flowers, which grow in the shape of a cup.
These unique cup-shaped flowers can be found in a variety of places. The Hedgehog cactus thrives in gravelly soils. They are often found among rocks in central Mexico and the Western United States. The Echinocereus viridiflorus species grows the farthest north; some can be found as far as Wyoming and South Dakota.
Hedgehog cactus plants differ greatly from the giant cartoon cacti with three upward prongs. Instead, these cacti feature smaller arms and longer needles. They also present beautiful and unique flowers. Finding one in a desert may even provide a person with a surprise snack thanks to the edible fruit produced by the hedgehog cactus.
Sources:
Crimson Hedgehog Cactus. BluePlanetBiomes.com. 2007. 22 Aug. 2007. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/crimson_Hedgehog_c actus.htm
"Hedgehog cactus." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 22 Aug. 2007. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9039791/Hedge hog-cactus
Hedgehog or Claret Cup Cactus Echinocereus triglochidiatus Cactaceae Cactus Family. DesertUSA. 2007. 22 Aug. 2007. http://www.desertusa.com/mag00/mar/papr/hhog.html
Featured Hedgehog Cactus Products:
