All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.

Sclerocactus spinosior ssp. blainei
Cedar City, Iron Co, Utah, USA (Photo in habitat by Fred & Judy White )

This photo was taken from above the largest plant. 7 inch (18 cm) It has a pup around 10 o'clock.

Etymology: The genus name "Sclerocactus" derives from the Greek word “sclero”   meaning "hard ", "cruel”. and the word “cactus” (an old genus name) The species name "spinosior" derives from the Latin adjectives “spinosus” (“thorny”)  and the comparative suffix “ior” that means “more so, to a greater degree; more-, -er” ( =“the thornier”). The subspecies name "blainei" is named in honour of Blaine.

Morphology (Identifying Characteristics):
Habit: The largest plants are round above the ground but small plants during the dry season are flat and almost completely retracted to the ground.
Spines: White soft, flattened and flexible. There are a dozen or so thin, weak, light-brownish spines located apically most of which have hooks.

Photo by: Fred & Judy White
Locality: Cedar City, Iron County, Utah

Notes by Fred White: This colony is composed of only a few (14) plants.  I believe them to be Sclerocactus Spinosior ssp. blainei. The smallest is about the size of a quarter. The largest about the size of a softball. The largest 3 or 4 rose above the ground but the rest were (essentially) flat to the ground. The white spines are all soft, flattened and flexible. There are a dozen or so thin, weak, light-brownish spines located apically most of which have hooks.

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Sclerocactus spinosior:

• S. spinosior ssp. blainei  "schleseri"
• S. spinosior ssp. blainei  From Iron Co. Utah Photo in habitat by Fred & Judy White

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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific Name: Sclerocactus spinosior ssp. blainei (S.L.Welsh & K.H.Thorne) F.Hochstätter
in Succulenta, Netherlands74e (1) 38-44, 1995

Distribution: This very rare cactus is confined to the western USA. In Nevada (Nye County and Lincoln County); and in Utah (Iron County) The population in Nye Co. is separated more than 110 km from the colony of Lincoln Co, but no intermediate plant colony are reported between this two locality. The number of wild individuals is very limited. Type locality: Nye county.

Habitat: (population of Iron Co. Utah). Occurs scattered in open pinyon-juniper woodland community on the south-facing slopes of a hill.

• Sclerocactus blainei Welsh & Thorne, Great Basin Naturalist 45 (3):553-555, 1985. (Basionym)
• Sclerocactus schleseri Heil & Welsh, Great Basin Naturalist, 46 (4):677-678, 1986
• Sclerocactus spinosior (Engelmann) Woodruff & L. Benson var. schleseri (Heil & Welsh) Hochstätter, Succulenta, Netherlands, 71 (1): 247-262, 1992. 
• Sclerocactus nyensis 72 (3):143, 1993.
• Pediocactus spinosior spp. blainei (Welsh & Thorne) Halda 1998
• Pediocactus spinosior spp. schlesseri (Heil & Welch) Halda 1998

All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.