Echinocactus (Ferocactus) acanthodes (Barrel Cactus, Miner's Compass)

Photographs

My photos:

This speciment was at the Visitor's Center at Anza Borrego.

More photos:

Calflora photo of the plant in bloom.

Barrel Cactus

Plant Information

Cactaceae

In the garden:

This simple and erect cactus may stand up to 6 feet tall and is stout, ribbed, and cylindrical. It is covered with a red to white (sometimes pink or yellowish) spines, which may be hooked at its apex. Flowers are yellow and occur in April and May.

In the wild:

Found on rocky slopes and walls or in gravelly fans, below 5000 feet. It produces a shiny, slimy alkaline juice, reputed as a thirst quencher, yet this juice, because of a flat bitter taste, is rarely drunk by travelers of the desert. Thirsty jack rabbits, mountain sheep, and wild burros occasionally eat the flesh. In especially hot locals, water every couple of weeks during the summer.

Ethnobotany:

The common name "Miner's Compass" is probably due to the fact that the plant grows slightly inclined in the direction of the sun.

Field Trips
Anza Borrego Caspers Holy Jim Canyon Idyllwild
Joshua Tree Mt Palomar Rancho Santa Ana Torrey Pines

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