Echinocereus pentalophus
| Light | Bright light with several hours of direct sun; a touch of shade from the harshest afternoon heat |
|---|---|
| Water | Regular in the growing season once the soil dries; keep dry and cool over winter |
| Soil | Gritty, fast-draining mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Some frost tolerance only if kept dry — to about −5 °C (roughly USDA zone 9) for short spells; protect from hard freezes |
| Propagation | Cuttings and division of the mat (easiest); also seed |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic to cats and dogs |
Echinocereus pentalophus is a sprawling, clump-forming hedgehog cactus from Mexico and southern Texas, known for its slender, finger-thick stems that trail and root to form low mats. Despite its modest stems, it produces some of the largest, showiest flowers in the genus — brilliant magenta blooms with a pale throat that can nearly cover the plant in spring. Its lax, finger-like growth earns it the common names lady finger cactus and alicoche.
Description
Echinocereus pentalophus forms loose, spreading clumps of soft, bright-green stems that are only about a centimetre or two thick but can lengthen considerably, often leaning, sprawling and rooting where they touch the ground. The stems carry a small number of low ribs — frequently around five, a feature reflected in the epithet pentalophus — set with short, weak spines that do little to hide the green skin beneath.
The flowers are the plant's great attraction. Large and funnel-shaped, they open a vivid magenta to rose-pink with a contrasting white or pale-yellow throat, and are strikingly big relative to the thin stems that bear them. Borne in spring, a well-grown mat can throw a remarkable number of blooms at once, each lasting a few days.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to northeastern Mexico and southern Texas, where it grows in the brush, grassland and rocky ground of the Tamaulipan thornscrub and adjacent regions. It typically sprawls among grasses and low shrubs that offer light shade and a little shelter, rooting into gritty or sandy soils. Its trailing habit lets it creep through surrounding vegetation and knit together into sizeable patches over time.
Cultivation
Echinocereus pentalophus is an easy, free-flowering cactus and a good choice for beginners. Grow it in a gritty, very free-draining mix in bright light with several hours of direct sun, which keeps growth compact and encourages the heavy spring flowering. Because it is more thirsty than many desert cacti during active growth, water it fairly regularly once the soil has dried, then ease off as autumn arrives.
A cool, dry winter rest is important: it hardens the plant, helps prevent rot and is the key to a good flush of flowers. Kept dry, the species shrugs off light, brief frost, but it will not survive a hard freeze, so protect it when temperatures drop much below freezing. A wide, shallow pot suits its sprawling, mat-forming habit. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Propagation
This is one of the simplest cacti to propagate. The sprawling stems root readily, so a length of stem taken as a cutting and allowed to callus will usually establish without fuss, and rooted portions of the mat can simply be divided off (see Propagation — offsets). Seed is also an option for those wanting numbers or variation — see Propagation — seed — but vegetative methods are faster and keep the flower colour true.
Common problems
- Rot — the usual cause of loss, from a soggy mix or watering during the cold winter rest; stems soften, discolour and collapse.
- Etiolation — too little light makes the already-lax stems thin, pale and floppy, and reduces flowering.
- Pests — mealybugs (white fluff in the stem crevices and roots) and red spider mites (fine webbing, bronzed skin) are the most common; see Pests and diseases.
See also
- Echinocereus — the genus overview
- Propagation — cuttings · Propagation — offsets · Soil and potting mix · Watering