Many Hooked Visnagita; Fishhook Cactus (Echinocactus polyancistrus—Sclerocactus polyancistrus)
(The name polyancistrus means “many fishhooks”)
How to identify and how it grows
The Many Hooked Visnagita, or Fishhook Cactus, grows from single stems as high as one foot, and four inches in diameter. The plant has from thirteen to seventeen ribs, on which twenty or more sharp needlelike radial spines appear, white, and a half-inch or so long. The central spines number six to ten, from one to five inches long, and are flattened with the lower thorns a brownish purple. All the spines are dangerously hooked and formidable, resembling a common fishhook. The flowers form in a central cluster and are about three inches in length and breadth, rose-purple changing to a beautiful rose-red. The petals are oblong; the pistils are a crimson shade. The fruit pods are covered with a few scales; they are bright rose-red. The flowers remain open for several days.
How to grow
Set plants in sandy or gravelly soil in sunny exposures, and give enough water to keep the soil moist. Sow the seed in June in sandy loam with enough water to keep the soil lightly moist, and give part shade. The plants grow indoors and out and will endure zero weather without injury. In colder weather they may be grown in dry sunny conservatories and indoor rock gardens.
Green Stemmed Visnaga (Echinocactus viridescens—Ferocactus viridescens)
(Viridescens means “growing green”)
How to identify and how it grows
The Green Stemmed Visnaga is another of the single growths, from five to fifteen inches high and a foot or so in diameter, and with thirteen to twenty ribs of glossy deep green or medium green, wavy-crested, and fringed with eight to twenty grouped radial spines about three-quarters of an inch long, very stout and sharp; these radials are slightly curved, with translucent yellow tips and reddish bodies. The four central spines are a dull gray-pink, sometimes yellowish. The flowers are about an inch and a half in length and breadth, form a circle around the tops of the stems, and are bell-shaped with yellow petals which have a reddish purple midrib. The reddish green fruit is less than an inch long and has a pleasant acid taste. This plant grows along the beaches and foothills of Southern California and blossoms in May and June.