Origin and Habitat: Oklhoma

• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Parker
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Weniger
• Echinocereus purpureus Lahman

• Echinocereus reichenbachii (Terscheck ex Walp.) Haage jr. ex Britton & Rose
• Cereus reichenbachianus Labour.
• Echinocactus reichenbachianus (Terscheck) Terscheck ex Fennel
• Echinocactus reichenbachii Terscheck ex Walp.
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. reichenbachii (Terscheck ex Walp.) Borg
• Echinocereus pectinatus var. reichenbachii (Terscheck ex Walp.) Werderm.
• Echinocereus reichenbachianus hort. ex Haage
• Echinopsis pectinata var. reichenbachiana (Terscheck) Salm-Dyck
• Echinopsis reichenbachiana Pfeiff. ex C.F.Först.
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. castaneus (Engelm.) Rümpler in Förster
• Cereus caespitosus var. castaneus Engelm. in A.Gray
• Cereus reichenbachianus var. castaneus Labour.
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. major (Engelm.) Rümpler in C.F.Först.
• Cereus caespitosus var. major Engelm.
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. minor (Engelm.)
• Cereus caespitosus var. minor Engelm.
• Echinocereus pailianus
• Echinocereus reichenbachii f. albispinus hort. non Lahman
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. anigosanthus Y.Itô
• Echinocereus reichenbachii f. brevispinum hort.
• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. burrensis G.Frank, Metorn & E.Scherer
• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. caespitosus (Engelm.) W.Blum & Mich.Lange in W.Blum et al.
• Cereus caespitosus Engelm. & A.Gray
• Echinocereus caespitosus (Engelm.) Engelm. in Wisliz.
• Echinocereus pectinatus var. caespitosus (Engelm.) K.Schum.
• Echinocereus pectinatus f. caespitosus (Engelm.) Schelle
• Mammillaria caespitosa (Engelm.) A.Gray
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. castaneus (Engelm.) nov. comb. ined.
• Echinocereus caespitosus f. castaneus (Engelm.) Borg
• Echinocereus castaneus (Engelm.) Orcutt
• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. comanchensis D.Felix, Oldach & J.Oldach
• Echinocereus reichenbachii f. cristatus hort.
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Parker
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Weniger
• Echinocereus purpureus Lahman
• Echinocereus rotatus Linke
• Echinocereus pectinatus var. rotatus (Linke) Linke ex Haage
• Echinocereus texensis Jacobi

• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albertii L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus fitchii subs. albertii (L.D.Benson) W.Blum & Mich.Lange in W.Blum et al.

• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. armatus (Poselg. ex Engelm.) N.P.Taylor
• Cereus pectinatus var. armatus Poselg. ex Engelm.
• Echinocereus armatus (Poselg.) A.Berger
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. armatus (Poselg. ex Engelm.) Borg
• Echinocereus fitchii var. armatus
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. armatus (Poselg. ex Engelm.) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus spinosus (J.M.Coult.) Borg
• Cereus pectinatus var. spinosus J.M.Coult.

• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. baileyi (Rose) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus baileyi Rose
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. baileyi (Rose) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus baileyi var. brunispinus Backeb.
• Echinocereus baileyi var. caespiticus Backeb.
• Echinocereus longispinus Lahman
• Echinocereus mariae Backeb.
• Echinocereus oklahomensis Lahman
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albispinus (Lahman) L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus albispinus Lahman
• Echinocereus baileyi var. albispinus (Lahman) Backeb.
• Echinocereus longispinus var. albispinus Backeb.
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. baileyi f. albispinus

• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. fitchii (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus fitchii Britton & Rose
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. fitchii (Britton & Rose) L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus melanocentrus J. Lowry

• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. perbellus (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus perbellus Britton & Rose
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. perbellus (Britton & Rose) L.D.Benson

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.

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

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.