Echinocereus berlandieri - Cactaceae, Cactus Family
DESCRIPTION: Cylinder-shaped, prostrate, sprawling, clustering, branching cactus. Older stems lie on the ground
with growing tips erect. Spines are yellow to white with the central spine curved upward.
Height: Prostrate, branches are 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide
Flowers: Reddish to pink, 3 inches wide with yellow to whitish throat. Usually in March to April.
Fruit: A small green, oval, egg-shaped berry 1/2 to 3/4 inches long
turning red and club-shaped
Growth rate: Slow
Sun: Partial sun, NOT full sun
Soil: Any. Usually found in clay soils along arroyo banks.
Water: Do not over water
Maintenance: Best if left alone
Propagation: Seeds, or well healed sections of the plant
NATIVE HABITAT: Found throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley, but most common along the river and its tributaries.
WILDLIFE USE: Bees enjoy nectar and pollen when in bloom.
COMMENTS: An unusual, elegant cactus both in form and in flower.