Echinocactus platyacanthus
Species of cactus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Species of cactus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Echinocactus platyacanthus is a member of the cactus family Cactaceae. It is also known as the giant barrel cactus, golden barrel cactus, giant viznaga, or biznaga de dulce,[2] and its Nahuatl (Aztec) name is huitzli nahual.[citation needed]. It is native to central Mexico in the Chihuahuan Desert.[1] This species is the largest of the barrel cacti. In Mexico, its hairs are often used for weaving; and acitrón, a traditional Mexican candy, is produced by boiling the cactus pith.
| Echinocactus platyacanthus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Genus: | Echinocactus |
| Species: | E. platyacanthus |
| Binomial name | |
| Echinocactus platyacanthus | |
This slow-growing species can reach sizes up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) tall and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) wide and can live over a hundred years. Previous records show that some specimens grow to almost 1.2 m (4 ft) in thickness.[3] What is probably the largest cactus living today is the one called "Goliat" at the "Area natural de Daxpe", in the municipio de Cadereyta, Querétaro State, Mexico. It is 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) in height, at least 0.9 m (3 ft) thick and weighs about 3 metric tons (6,600 lb).[4] Another one at Ixmiquilpan, Mexico has a measured diameter of 120 cm (3 ft 11 in) and is 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) high.[5] Britton and Rose reported a specimen (with photograph) which was 1.33 m (4 ft 4 in) thick, by 10 ft (3 m) in height and weighed 2,000 kg (4,400 lb).[6]
Their stems come in gray-ish blue color and the straight, rigid spines are black. The apex of the cactus is flat and covered with a yellow felt-like substance. They are heavily ribbed, with 25 to 30 vertical ribs, and have large areoles. Their diurnal, tubular flowers bloom at the end of spring to summer and are a vivid yellow color; they grow to about 2 cm (0.79 in) in height and 3 cm (1.2 in) in width.[7] The fruit is about 3 cm (1.2 in) long and is covered by a hairy wool.[8]
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