The stems of this peculiar growth are used in making the famed “cactus candy,” the fleshy part sliced and soaked in water over night, then cooked until tender and allowed to harden and crystallize, a most delicious delicacy.
PINK FLOWERED VISNAGITA (Echinocactus Johnsonii)
MEXICAN FRUIT CACTUS (Echinocactus hamatacanthus)
The dried fruit of this cactus, sweet and very sugary, is considered a rare delicacy by hundreds of thousands of tourists.
GIANT VISNAGA; GIANT BARREL CACTUS (Echinocactus Visnaga). (Baby specimen)
A monster growth, six to nine feet tall in mature specimens, three to four feet in diameter, weighing over four thousand pounds and estimated by scientists to attain the age of a thousand years!
This growth was named by scientists for Dr. John Le Conte, who discovered it in the lower Gila River country of Arizona. It is a very interesting specimen and has the following names, any and all of which seem to fit: Echinocactus Le Contei, Ferocactus Le Contei, Barrel Cactus, Nigger Head Cactus, and Candy Cactus. It prefers the arid rocky or gravelly desert lands, bajadas and foothill slopes, and seeks always the hottest exposures with very little rainfall.