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

Escobaria vivipara var. bisbeana
(Syn: Coryphantha bisbeana)

Escobaria vivipara var. bisbeana
Also known as the "Bisbee spinystar"
 

Description: Escobaria vivipara var. bisbeana is a small solitary or clumping cactus that form small colonies over time. It is densely covered in a mat of star-shaped arrays of spines.
Stems: Spheric, ovoid, obovoid, or cylindric with age, 2.5-7,5 × 3-11 cm tall;
Tubercles: Grooved, 8-25 × 3-8 mm, stiff or ± flaccid; areolar glands absent.
Roots:  ± diffuse, less than 1/4 of stem diameter.
Spines: Approx 25-35 radial per areole weakly tightly appressed, pectinately arranged in subadults plant, vitreous bright white with reddish brown, or pinkish orange tips, fading, then blackening with age (dark tips rarely absent). Subcentral spines are sometimes present.
Central spines: Only in adult specimens, straightt;  3-14 per areole; slightly projecting, in "bird’s-foot" arrangement or radiating like spokes, longest spines 9-25 mm.
Flowers: Subapical, 20-65 mm long; pale rose-pink to  magenta.
Fruits: Green, exposed portions slowly turning dull brownish red, juicy; floral remnant persistent.
Flowering season: Spring-late summer.
 

Propagation: Seeds (no dormancy requirement, they germinate best at  25°C) or by offsets ( if available), or occasionally grafted
 

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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific name:  Escobaria vivipara var. bisbeana

Origin:  Native to Arizona and New Mexico.

Habitat:   Grassland filled with desert annuals mostly on low hills or mountain tops. Often both clumps of Coryphantha and Echinocereus rigidissimus grows nearby in the prairie. Altitude between 1100 and 1600 m. Often snow-covered in winter can withstand temperatures below freezing for a long period of time!

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Common English Names include: Bisbee spinystar

• Escobaria vivipara var. bisbeeana
• Coryphantha bisbeeana
• Escobaria bisbeeana
• Coryphantha vivipara var. bisbeeana

Cultivation: It comes from an area of summer rainfall.  Keep drier in winter (but for outdoor cultivation it is very resistant to wet conditions, too). It needs good drainage. Very cold resistant, but the frost resistance varies a lot from clone to clone. It can easily be grown outdoors in areas with minimum winter temperatures of -15 -25°.  It needs full sun to light shade.

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Escobaria vivipara.

• Escobaria vivipara
• Escobaria vivipara var. arizonica
• Escobaria vivipara var. bisbeana

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