Echinocereus laui | |
---|---|
| |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Cactaceae |
Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
Genus: | Echinocereus |
Species: | E. laui
|
Binomial name | |
Echinocereus laui
G.Frank 1978
|
Echinocereus laui is a species of cactus native to Mexico. [2]
Echinocereus laui forms clusters of up to 20 cylindrical shoots, each reaching up to 10 cm (3.9 in) in height and 4 cm (1.6 in) in diameter. [3] These shoots have 14 to 16 low ribs with small cusps.[ citation needed] The plant features four reddish-brown central spines, up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long, and 18 to 21 bristle-like white radial spines, 5 to 10 mm (0.20 to 0.39 in) long. [3]
Its narrow, funnel-shaped pink flowers bloom near the tips of the shoots, measuring 3 to 6.2 cm (1.2 to 2.4 in) in length and 4 to 7.2 cm (1.6 to 2.8 in) in diameter. [3] The spherical fruits are brownish-green, covered with wool and thin brown thorns. [3]
Echinocereus laui is found in oak forests, rock outcrops, and grasslands in eastern Sonora and western Chihuahua in Mexico, within the Sierra Madre Occidental at elevations of 1,480 to 1,800 m (4,860 to 5,910 ft). It is found growing along with Cochemiea barbata. [4]
Gerhard R. W. Frank first described the species in 1978, naming it after Alfred Bernhard Lau, its discoverer. [5]