Sonoran rainbow cactus

Description

Echinocereus bristolii is a species of plant in the genus Echinocereus of the cactus family (Cactaceae). The specific epithet bristolii honors the American Barkley Bristol, who discovered the species. Echinocereus bristolii initially grows individually and later forms groups consisting of up to 30 shoots. The light green cylindrical shoots are tapered towards the top. They are up to 20 centimeters long and have a diameter of 5 centimeters. There are 15 to 19 low and sharp ribs, slightly tuberculated. The whitish thorns on it have a darker tip. The mostly three central spines have a length of up to 1 centimeter. The bottom one is the longest. The 22 to 24 radial spines attached to the shoots are up to 1 centimeter long. The funnel-shaped flowers are pink. They appear near the tips of the shoots, are 3.8 to 8.5 centimeters long and reach a diameter of 5.5 to 10.5 centimeters. The almost spherical fruits tear open at the top. Echinocereus bristolii is distributed in the Mexican state of Sonora. The first description by William Taylor Marshall was published in 1938. A nomenclatural synonym is Echinocereus pectinatus var. bristolii (WTMarshall) WTMarshall (1956) In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the species is listed as " Least Concern (LC) ". H. listed as not endangered.