Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Spinystar
Escobaria vivipara
Cactus family (Cactaceae)

As an adaption to life in an arid environment, cactus leaves have been reduced to , saving both water loss and providing protection for the plant. are sweet, juicy, and do not require peeling. Spinystar can easily be mistaken for Plains Cactus (Pediocactus simpsonii), especially when the two species are not in flower. The Hedgehog Cactus has smooth while spinystar has a groove on one side of each and tend to be separate. Spinystars also tend to grow colonially while hedgehogs tend to be non-colonial. "Escobaria" honors Romulo and Numa Escobar, well known teachers and agronomists in 20th century Mexico. "Vivipara" is Latin for "brings forth alive" (i.e., bears live offspring) but Escobaria vivipara is not viviparous and why the word was used to describe this plant is a mystery.


©2004 Robert Sivinski

Description

Spiny to 12'' high. Small fleshy spherical to barrel-shaped stems, occurring singly or numerous in clumps. Stems covered with (green sausage-like bumps) with rigid , 8-11 long and smaller, more slender . are straight and smooth; radial spreading, obscuring the stem; central light colored with dark tips. Flowers are pink-red-purple funnel-shaped with spreading and pointed petals and yellow-orange centers; numerous . Flowers arise from axils of at the of the plant. are pale green fleshy and do not open on maturity ().

Field Marks

Small spherical or barrel-shaped cactus with pronounced , grooved on one side, and bright pink-rose flowers.

© Al Schneider

stamen -- the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower; The stamen consists of an anther supported by a filament.

A perennial plant lives and blooms for many years.

The apex is the tip or the furthest point from the attachment.

spine -- a stiff, sharp structure formed by the modification of a plant organ that contains vascular tissue. A spine can be formed by a latteral branch, a modified leaf or a thorn.

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

tubercle is generally a wart-like projection.

mm -- millimeter. About 1/25th of an inch.

fruit -- any seed-bearing structure in flowering plants. It is formed from the ovary after flowering.

indehiscent -- a fruit not opening at maturity.