Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus  - Echinocereus engelmannii

Location/Trail:  Boyce Thompson ArboretumDate sighted:  4/05/2007 Season:  SpringEchinocereus engelmannii forms an open or dense cluster of upright cylindrical green stems. Blooms appear in March through April. The flowers are rosy pink with darker pink bases around pale yellow and green flower parts. Although variable in flower and spine color, Engelmann is always a very spiny, shaggy hedgehog with large showy flowers and bright red fruit. The fruit pod contains a sweet, edible, pinkish white pulp and many small black seeds. E. engelmannii is found in the western third of Arizona, extending from the Mexico border north to Utah.