Cushion foxtail cactus

Description

Escobaria alversonii is a plant species in the genus Escobaria from the cactus family (Cactaceae). The specific epithet alversonii honors the British mineral seeker Andrew H. Alverson (1845-1916). English common names are "Foxtail Beehive Cactus" and "Foxtail Cactus". Escobaria alversonii usually grows sprouting and forms underground, cylindrical offshoots. The more or less spherical shoots reach heights of growth of up to 7 centimeters. The eight to ten central spines have a dark red or black tip and are 1.2 to 1.6 inches long. The twelve to 18 white radial spines have lengths of 1.2 to 2 centimeters. The flowers are magenta to pink in color and reach a diameter of about 3.2 centimeters. The ellipsoidal fruits are green. Escobaria alversonii is distributed in the United States in southeastern California and in adjacent Arizona. The first description as Cactus radiosus var alversonii by John Merle Coulter was published in 1894. Nigel Paul Taylor placed the variety as a species in the genus Escobaria in 1997. Other nomenclatural synonyms are Mammillaria alversonii (JMCoult.) Zeiss. (1895) Mammillaria radiosa var. alversonii (JMCoult.) K. Schum. (1898) Mammillaria arizonica var. alversonii (JMCoult.) Davidson & Moxley (1923) Coryphantha alversonii alversonii (JMCoult) LDBenson (1950), Coryphantha vivipara var. alversonii (JMCoult.) LDBenson (1969) and Escobaria vivipara var. alversonii (JMCoult.) DRHunt (1978). In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the species is listed as" Least Concern (LC)". H. listed as not endangered.