Echinocereus caespitosus var. purpureus

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Since 4 Aug 2013

Echinocereus caespitosus var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Weniger
1970 nom. inval.
Family: CACTACEAE

= Echinocereus reichenbachii var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Parker
1996 nom. nud.

Accepted Scientific Name: Echinocereus reichenbachii (Terscheck ex Walp.) Haage jr. ex Britton & Rose
Cactaceae (Britton & Rose) 3: 25. 1922 [12 Oct 1922] ; vide Gray Herb. Card Cat Britton & Rose

Echinocereus caespitosus var. purpureus (Echinocereus reichenbachii var. purpureus) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli

Origin and Habitat: Oklhoma

Synonyms:

Echinocereus reichenbachii var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Parker

Echinocereus caespitosus var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Weniger
Echinocereus purpureus Lahman

See all synonyms of Echinocereus reichenbachii

Common Names include:
ENGLISH: Purple Candle Cactus, Merry Widow Cactus, Lace Cactus, Hedghog Cactus, Black lace cactus

Description: The "Echinocereus purpureusSN|7575]]SN|7611]]" from Oklahoma is merely one of the several forms of the very variable Echinocereus reichenbachii and is intermediate between Echinocereus reichenbachiiSN|7575]]SN|7575]] subsp. baileyi and Echinocereus reichenbachiiSN|7575]]SN|7575]] subsp. caespitosus. It has reddish neat comb-like short spination. It is one of the smaller Echinocereus species. However Echinocereus reichenbachiiSN|7611]]SN|7575]] occurs over quite a wide area and the "purpureus" form is often regarded as a mere ecotype. However red spined form with bright purple flowers occurs at random elsewhere.
Stem: Erect, cylindrical or short cylindrical, as the the species, but smaller in maximum size and in diameter.
Ribs: 10-19 straight or slightly undulate.
Areoles:1-6 mm apart.
Radial spines: 14 to 22, straight to slightly curved, held closely against the the ribs of the stems, organized in 2 series, pectinately arranged or nearly so, 5 to 8 mm long. Multi-coloured, dullcreamy-white, glistering purplish to almost black at their tips, at first, whitish on older areoles.
Central spines: 0 to3 ( but usually absent) small, terete.
Flowers: Beautiful, abundant, scented, always purple in colour, 5 to 7 cm long. Flower tube 22-40 long, 10-30 mm in diameter, clothed with dense greyish wool, flower tube hairs 5-15 mm long; anthers yellow; nectar chamber 2-5 mm. Stigma lobes 12.
Blooming season: Early May to Late June.
Fruits: Ovoid green, olive green, or dark green, fruit up to 28 mm long; fruiting 1,5-2,5 months after flowering.
Seeds: Black.

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Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Echinocereus reichenbachii group

Echinocereus baileyi var. brunispinus Backeb.: No central spine with brown, intelacing, bristly, radials spines. Distribution: Oklahoma.
Echinocereus melanocentrus J. Lowry: same as: Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. fitchii
Echinocereus oklahomensis Lahman: It is one of the local forms of Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. baileyi distinguished by having 20-24 radial spines only 2 cm long and 0-2 centrals. Distribution: south-west Oklahoma.
Echinocereus pailanus Fritz Schwarz ex Backeb.: has fine-textured pinkish-red or pink-brown pectinated spines. distribution Coahuila, (Sierra Paila)?
Echinocereus reichenbachii (Terscheck ex Walp.) Haage jr. ex Britton & Rose: Small solitary or slowly branching cylindrical shaped cactus.It has 20 to 36, white to tan pectinatd radial spines held closely against the the ribs of the stems, organized in 2 series. Central spines usually absent.
Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albertii L.D.Benson: This cactus has large, pretty pink flowers with a very dark center. It has dark cental spines 0, or 1, 2 to 3 mm long, purple-black in colour. The 14 to 20 radial spines are white with dark purple tips number, straight, closely pectinate, 3 to 6 mm long.
Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albispinus (Lahman) L.D.Benson: This is a form of Echinocereus baileyi with white to delicately pinkish spines, up to 1-2 cm long.
Echinocereus reichenbachii f. albispinus hort. non Lahman: It is intermediates between Echinocereus baileyi and Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp. caespitosus. It has white neat comb-like short spination. It is one of the smaller Echinocereus species.
Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. armatus (Poselg. ex Engelm.) N.P.Taylor: This cactus has large, pretty pink flowers with a clearer often greenish center. It has 1 or 2 sharpen, light brown, darkly tipped spines.
Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. baileyi (Rose) N.P.Taylor: No central spine with about 16 intelacing radials spines, that are bristly spreading and variously coloured, white, yellowish, fox red, brown or pink. Distribution: Oklahoma, Texas.
Echinocereus reichenbachii f. brevispinum hort.: short spined form.
Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. caespitosus (Engelm.) W.Blum & Mich.Lange in W.Blum et al.: The so called "caespitosus" is the form found in central Texas. Usually this plants lack central spines and are weakly distinguished from typical "reichenbachii".
Echinocereus reichenbachii var. castaneus (Engelm.) nov. comb. ined.
Echinocereus reichenbachii f. cristatus hort.: Crested form.
Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. fitchii (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor: has brown central spines, much longer than white radials and large flower, slightly scented, pink-purple with dark burgundy centre. Distribution: Starr, Webb, and Zapadta Co., Texas
Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. perbellus (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor: It has 0-1 central spine, fewer than 20 radials, and elliptic areoles; Range: Colorado, New Mexico, and central Texas.
Echinocereus reichenbachii var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Parker: intermediate between Echinocereus baileyi and Echinocereus caespitosus, has reddish neat comb-like spines with bright purple flowers. Distribution: Oklhoma

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Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward F. Anderson (2001) “ The Cactus Family”.
2) Curt Backeberg “Cactus Lexicon” Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated, 1978
3) David Hunt, Nigel Taylor “The New Cactus Lexicon” DH Books, 2006 ISBN 0953813444, 9780953813445
4) Del Weniger “Cacti of the Southwest: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana” University of Texas Press, 1969
5) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under GlassCambridge University Press, 11/ago/2011
6) Lyman David Benson “The Cacti of the United States and Canada” Stanford University Press, 1982

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Echinocereus caespitosus var. purpureus (Echinocereus reichenbachii var. purpureus) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli

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Cultivation and Propagation: It is sensitive to overwatering (rot prone) needs a 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. Need full sun. It is very cold resistant from -10° to -25° C (depending on clones) or less for short periods of time. It is a fine plant for a rock garden or container, contrasts well with agaves, yuccas, and low-growing flowering plants.
Propagation: Seeds, also can be grown from cutting as it slowly branches from the base.

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Cite this page: "Echinocereus caespitosus var. purpureus" Text available under a CC-BY-SA Creative Commons Attribution License. www.llifle.com 14 Nov. 2005. 05 Apr 2025. </Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/7619/Echinocereus_caespitosus_var._purpureus>