Chihuahua Pinapple Cactus - Echinomastus intertextus
North Wicks Canyon East of Hillsboro, NM, USA
Mid-March 2017
The Chihuahua Pinapple Cactus plants shown here started to bloom in mid-March, 2017. Scientific synonyms for Echinomastus intertextus include Echinocactus intertextus, Neolloydia intertexta, Scierocactus intertextus, Pediocactus intertextus, and Echinomastus dasyacanthus. Its English common names include Chihuahua Pinapple Cactus, Early-bloomer Cactus, White Fishhook Cactus, Interlacing Spine Cactus, White-flowered Viznagita, and Woven-spine Pineapple Cactus.
As seen in the BONAP map to the right the range of this species, within the United States, is limited. The light green color means that the species is native to and not rare within the county indicated. It is also found in northern Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, and Coahuila).
This species was first described, as Echinocactus intertextus, by Englemann in 1856. There are two recognized varieties; E. i. var. dasyacanthus and E. i. var. intertextus. The current description of this species was made by N. L. Britton & J. N. Rose in 1922 in their four volume The Cactaceae - Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family. Volume 3, pages 149-150, describe this species and are shown below. The internet being what it is, all four volumes are available for free in digital form.
SEINet has several photographs of live plants and of specimen sheets of this species.
The Encyclopedia of Life is one of the sources which lists this species as Scierocactus intertextus.
Apache Peak, N. of Lake Valley, Black Range, New Mexico
April 14, 2020
