Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus
Echinocereus engelmannii
The fruit is edible and sweet, often compared to strawberries, earning it the common nickname 'Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus.'
- Scientific name
- Echinocereus engelmannii
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Caryophyllales › Cactaceae › Echinocereus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- desert
- Habitat
- Arid desert scrublands, rocky slopes, and bajadas between 200 and 5,000 feet elevation.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic; absorbs sunlight, carbon dioxide, and minimal water from soil.
- Range
- Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, Arizona, Southern California, Baja California
- Size
- Stems 4-12 inches tall, clumping into mounds up to 3 feet wide.
- Lifespan
- 20 to 50 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Urban development, illegal poaching for the nursery trade, and invasive grass fires.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but heavily armored. Avoid touching or falling onto the plant as spines cause painful puncture wounds. If pricked, remove spines with tweezers and clean the area with soap and water to prevent infection.
The strawberry hedgehog cactus or Engelmann's hedgehog cactus ( Echinocereus engelmannii ) is commonly found in desert areas of the southwestern United States and the adjacent areas of Mexico, including the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Baja California and Sonora.
Photo: Dawn Endico, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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