Southeastern California, Western Arizona, and Southern Nevada
The meaning of polyancistrus is “many fishhooks”; but why should there be fishhooks on the desert? Echinocactus polyancistrus is a very interesting and showy Visnagita growing on mesas and deserts; though widely distributed, it never appears in abundance, and is rather rare. It is densely and conspicuously spiny, covered with sharp needlelike thorns placed radially, a half-inch long or longer, dangerously hooked, spreading, and very formidable; resembling the common fishhook and far more fearful. This cactus is most conspicuous and attractive in its white shining armor of spines. The blossoms are large and showy and remain open for several days. At first rose-purple, they change to a deep crimson, while the throat of the flower is broad and covered with yellow stamens; the styles are bright red, and even the mature fruit is a brilliant red. The flowers grow in clusters from near the tops of the plants and create a splash of fiery crimson over the mesas, beautiful to behold, flaming against the dark background of mesquite and sagebrush and other desert cacti.
Green Stemmed Visnaga (Echinocactus viridescens)
Southern California and Lower California
Echinocactus viridescens is a small Bisnaga growing in the vicinity of San Diego, California, and is found along the beaches there, and in the dry ridges and hills of Lower California. It gets its name from the greenish flowers and stems (viridescens is Latin for “growing green”). The stems grow a little over a foot high; the numerous stout sharp thorns are finely hairy, encircling the plants in red and yellow and rose-pink bands of coloring; while the blossoms form a bright halo of gold and purple tints around their tips, the margins of petals and sepals yellow and the thickened midribs yellow or purple-red, the whole producing a strongly greenish cast in flower and plant. The fruit can be eaten, and has a slightly acid taste like that of the common gooseberry.
Harem Cactus (Echinocactus polycephalus)
Southern California, Western Arizona, Nevada, and Utah
The many-headed Barrel Cacti are composed of the older stems, a couple of feet or so in height, each surrounded by twenty to forty smaller ones, and we might give this group the name “Harem Cactus.” These many-stemmed Barrel Cacti form large hemispherical mounds three to five feet across with the largest stems or trunks in the center. Hence the suggestion of an old man and his many wives; hence also the designation “Mound Cactus.” The group thrives well on stony and gravelly hills of our hottest southwestern deserts where the rainfall is three inches or less. Clad in an impenetrable armor of silver-gray spikes and spines, banded in pink and pinkish gray zones of color and in a densely fine fuzzy growth, polycephalus blossoms in many showy attractive blooms, bright yellow petals and stamens in striking contrast to the purple-red sepals and scales. The clusters of flowers are hidden among the dense masses of stout ascending or incurved spines and rarely open in full, both fruit and blossoms deriving protection against the ravages of sun and storm, rodents and other desert animals from their strong armament of thorns and spikes. This cactus is interesting because it is so different from any of its relatives.
Mexican Fruit Cactus (Echinocactus hamatacanthus)
Northern Mexico, Southern Texas, and New Mexico