Plant: Low globular cactus <10 cm; stems solitary, ball-like; radial spines white, numerous, obscuring the stem; flowers mostly cream, borne at apex.
Stems 5-17(-20) × 3-10 cm; ribs ca. 13; areoles (5-)9-11 mm apart along ribs; areolar glands absent. Spines 20-29 per areole, dull tan to pale gray, pinkish, or reddish brown (rarely dull white or straw colored), usually tipped reddish brown; radial spines 13-25 per areole; abaxial (shortest) radial spine 5-13 × 0.2-0.4 mm; adaxial and lateral (longest) radial spines 9-20 mm; central spines (3-)4 per areole, abaxial central spine porrect, straight or nearly so, (0-)0.5-14(-20) mm; others 10-18(-20) × 0.2-0.5 mm. Flowers 2.5-3(-3.8) × 2.5-3(-3.8) cm; inner tepals silvery white to pale lavender pink (rarely white with pale pink midstripes), 1.3-2.5 cm × (1-)3-5.5 mm; stigma lobes bright red or pink (rarely white). Fruits immediately dehiscent through wide basal pore (= circumscissile abscission scar), ± spheric, 6-15 × (6-)8-15 mm. 2n = 22.
The mature part of the stem of Echinomastus intertextus is sometimes positioned above ground level on a stalklike proximal part of the stem, which often remains narrowly cylindric while the distal part broadens to the normal diameter of the adult stem. This contrasts with the other species of Echinomastus, which lack a stalklike stem portion between the roots and mature part of the stem. Many populations of E. intertextus are intermediate between the two varieties, i.e., they contain a wide range of central spine lengths. Consequently, sampling error (usually only one specimen from each population) created the illusion of extensive sympatry between long-spined and short-spined varieties.
Stems spheric, obovoid, or ovoid to cylindric, appearing bristly and dangerous to handle. Spines slightly appressed to spreading, except for the porrect adaxial central spine which is 4-15(-20) mm. 2n = 22.
Flowering Feb-Apr; fruiting Apr-Jun. Desert grasslands and plains grasslands, upper edge of Chihuahuan desert scrub, grassy hills, bajadas, sometimes with oaks and junipers, igneous substrates (rarely limestone); 1100-2100 m; N.Mex., Tex.
In the Chisos Mountains of Texas, one isolated population of Echinomastus intertextus, identified as var. dasyacanthus on the basis of spine length, is sympatric with the vegetatively similar E. warnockii. The figure captioned as 'Neolloydia' intertexta var. dasyacantha (L. D. Benson 1982, color fig. 155) is typical E. warnockii.
Echinomastus intertextus var. dasyacanthus presumably occurs in extreme northern Chihuahua, but we have not seen any specimens.
Stems spheric when young, ovoid to ovoid-cyli ndric with age, appear-ing smooth and easily handled. Spines closely appressed, except for the porrect abaxial central spine, which is 0.5-4(-5) mm. 2n = 22.
Flowering Feb-Apr; fruiting Apr-Jun. Desert grasslands and plains grasslands, grassy hills, bajadas, sometimes with junipers or oaks, on igneous substrates (rarely limestone); 1000-1900 m; Ariz., N.Mex., Tex.; Mexico (Chihuahua).
Most published records of Echinomastus intertextus from central New Mexico, and many from southern New Mexico, probably pertain to var. dasyacanthus; the varieties replace each other geographically, but many populations in south-central New Mexico may be intermediate, containing long-, medium-, and short-spined individuals. Although not documented for Sonora, var. intertextus is known less than one kilometer from the Mexican border in southeastern Arizona.
Common Name: white fishhook cactus
Duration: Perennial
Protected Status: No status in Arizona.
General: Solitary-stemmed hedgehog-type cactus; stems erect and usually unbranched, ovoid to depressed-hemispheric, 5-20 cm tall and 3-10 cm diameter, pale to dark green or glaucous bluish-green; stems with about 13 ribs, the crests deeply notched above each areole (axillary buds from which the spines emerge); areoles elliptic, about 1 cm apart.
Spines: Spines fine and straight, gray to tan, brown, or reddish and frequently red-tipped, 20-29 per areole, with usually 3-4 central spines and 13-25 radial spines (spines emerging from the outside edge of the areole); central spines up to 2 cm long, the lowest one sticking straight out and obviously a central spine, but sometimes only a few mm long; the upper 3 central spines appearing radial, about 2 cm long; radial spines of differing lengths, ranging from 5 mm to 2 cm long, overlapping the radial spines of other areoles.
Flowers: Flowers about 3 cm high; petals numerous, 2 cm long and 3-5 mm wide, silvery white to pale lavender pink, or rarely white with pale pink midstripes; stigma lobes bright red or pink, or rarely white.
Fruits: Fruits subcylindric to subspheric, 6-15 mm long, fleshy and green when fresh but drying and turning tan or reddish brown at maturity; seeds black, to 2 mm wide.
Ecology: Found on limestone and igneous substrates in deserts, grasslands, and pinyon-juniper woodland, from 1,000-7,000 ft (305-2134 m); flowers February-April.
Distribution: s AZ, s NM, w TX.
Notes: With its slender, straight, spreading spines, this species strongly resembles a Coryphantha sp. However, Coryphantha spp. have extremely well-defined, deeply separated tubercles. For example the common and widespread C. vivipara has tubercles that protrude 6-19 mm, compared to E. intertextus, with reasonably well defined tubercles that protrude only about 3 mm. The mature part of the stem of Echinomastus intertextus is sometimes positioned above ground level on a stalklike proximal part of the stem, which often remains narrowly cylindric while the distal part broadens to the normal diameter of the adult stem; this trait distinguishes it from other species on Echinomastus. There are two varieties: var. intertextus has radial spines that are closely appressed to the cactus stem, and a primary central spine (the one that sticks straight out) less than 5 mm long. Var. dasyacantha has diffusely spreading radial spines which are not closely appreassed to the cactus stem, and the primary central spine is longer, about 2 cm long.
Ethnobotany: Unknown
Etymology: Echinomastus comes from from the Greek echinos, a spiny, and masto for a breast, alluding to the spiny, nipple-like tubercles; intertextus means intertwined, referring to the overlapping spines.
Synonyms: Echinocactus intertextus, Neolloydia intertexta, Sclerocactus intertextus
Editor: LCrumbacher 2010, AHazelton 2017
Common Name: white fishhook cactus
Duration: Perennial
Protected Status: No status in Arizona.
General: Similar to E. intertextus except that it is spheric when young and ovoid to cylindric with age, while appearing smooth and easy to handle.
Spines: Simliar to E. intertextus except that the radial spines and adaxial central spines are closely appressed, while the abaxial, porrect central spine is 0.5-5 mm.
Flowers: Diurnal and borne at adaxial edge of areoles or near stem apex, campanulate or funnelform and 1-7 cm long and 1-7 cm broad with outer tepals of greenish lavender, reddish, yellowish-brown, or with purple midstripes, and white, cream, gold, rose, pink, or purple margins, and inner tepals that are erect to ascending and white and 1.5-3.5 mm.
Fruits: Fruits green but often turning tan, pink, or red, cylindric to subspheric, 4-30 mm long and 3.5-25 mm diameter, thin walled but fleshy and becoming dry at maturity, they are naked or with a few broad, thin scales, the pulp greenish to white and scant, whi
Ecology: Found on igneous substrates in desert grasslands, on bajadas, and in juniper and oak woodlands from 3,500-6,500 ft (1067-1981 m), flowers February-April, fruits April-June.
Notes: Following TROPICOS, USDA Plants has the accepted name as Echinomastus intertextus, and also treats Sclerocactus intertextus var. intertextus as the same as Echinomastus intertextus. FNA states that there has been considerable controversy concerning the treatment of Sclerocactus. Some treatments include Ancistrocactus, Echinomastus, Glandulicactus, and Sclerocactus as a single genus, wheras others exclude those groups, in addition to Toumeya, from Sclerocactus. Distinguished by the closely appressed radial and adaxial central spines.
Ethnobotany: Unknown
Etymology: Echinomastus comes from from the Greek echinos, a hedgehog and masto for a breast, while intertextus means intertwined in some way.
Synonyms: Sclerocactus intertextus
Editor: LCrumbacher, 2010
