Echinocereus fasciculatus
(Syn: Echinocereus engelmannii var. fasciculatus)
 

Echinocereus engelmanni v. fasciculatus (Safford, Arizona, USA, TL)
 

Description: Clumping stems with 5 to 20 heads.
Stem: cylindrical to elongate, green,15-45 cm tall, 4-10 cm in diameter.
Ribs:  8 to 10, not distinctly tuberculate.
Areoles: circular
Spines: Not obscuring the stem.
Central spines: Usually single (or sometimes 2 to 4, of which  one is longer), grey to dark brown with darker tips,  at right angles to the stem, going upward at the stem tips, 2.5-8 cm long. The similar E. engelmannii has 2 to 6 central spines per areole.
Radial spines: 11 to 13 shorter ones, 1.5-2 cm long ones.
Flowers: Borne on the upper part of the stem, broadly funnel-form, pink to magenta or reddish purple, 5-6.5 cm long and in diameter.
Blooming phenology: Spring (march to April), flowers are diurnal, closing at night and reopening in the morning, and last for about five days.
Fruit: Green, globose,  fleshy, 2-3 cm in diameter, turning red as it ripens.  The fruit is edible (if you can reach it through the spines).   It is said to taste like strawberries, and is eaten readily by birds and rodents.  Fruiting: May-July.

There are a number of varieties of E. fascicualtus, but not all are universally recognized.  Some authorities recognize the following varieties:
E. fasciculatus ssp. fasciculatus has grayish central spines that are 1-3 inches long.
E. fasciculatus ssp. boyce-thompsonii has straw (yellow-tan), colored, and longer central central spines, that are downward pointing , and 2-10 cm long.  The flowers are a very deep purple.
E. fasciculatus ssp. bonkerae has fewer stems, and is shorter.  Central spines are 1,5-2,5 cm long, and grayish-white.  The flowers are also deep purple.

Most of the plants in this group have 4 sets of chromosomes, but at least one  variety includes individuals with 2 sets.

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Echinocereus engelmanni complex (This Taxon has lots of synonyms,  with several controversial varieties and subspecies, and comprises a multitude of different forms, but where each form is linked to others by populations of plants with intermediate characteristics):

• Echinocereus engelmannii
• Echinocereus fasciculatus (E. engelmannii var.  fascicualatus)

Scientific name: Echinocereus fasciculatus (Engelmann) Benson
Cacti Ariz. ed. 3:21, 132. 1969
 
Origin:   USA (Arizona, Western New Mexico), Mexico (Sonora)

Common Names include: Short spined Strawberry hedgehog, Robust Hedgehog, Pink flowered hedgehog cactus, bundle hedgehog.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.
 

• Mammillaria fasciculata Engelm. ex B.D. Jacks. 1895 not Britton & rose 1923 (basionym)
• Echinocereus engelmannii ssp. fasciculatus  (Engelm. ex B.D. Jacks.) Bloom et al. 1998
• Echinocereus abbeae (abbae) S.H. Parsons 1937
• Echinocereus fendleri var. fasciculatus(Engelm. ex B.D. Jacks.) N.P. Taylor
• Echinocereus fendleri var. robustus, (Peebles) L.D. Benson
• Echinocereus rectispinus var. robustus Peebles
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. robustus (Peebles) L.D. Benson

The flowers are a large brilliant magenta pink, with darker centers.

Cultivation: It grows rather slowly and  is sensitive to over-watering (rot prone).  It needs very good drainage to avoid rotting,  but requires more moisture than true desert cacti, to grow and produce flowers.  Keep drier and cool in winter.  It needs full sun.  It's cold resistant  to -10° (or less, depending on clones)  for short periods of time.  It is a fine plant for a rock garden or container, and contrasts well with agaves, yuccas, and low-growing flowering plants. It will show  its  flowers only provided with an adequate winter rest period.

Propagation: Seeds, can also be grown from cuttings, as it branches  from the base.