Canary flora > Cacti
Echinopsis huascha
Echinopsis huascha (F.A.C.Weber) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
Red hedgehog
This cactus is endemic to Jujuy and Salta in Argentina, and is one of the most widely cultivated cacti in the world.
These plants usually branch out at the base and form clumps, growing to a height of up to 1 metre.
The cylindrical stem is bright green in colour, either erect or creeping, with the apical tips growing upright;
it has 14 to 17 ribs and reaches a diameter of around 5 centimetres. The areoles, which are yellowish to brown in colour and from which needle-like spines emerge,
reach diameters of up to 1 cm. The 1–3 central spines are slightly thicker than the radial spines and 2–7 cm long.
The 9 to 11 radial spines are up to 1.5 centimetres long.
The funnel- or bell-shaped flowers appear near the apex and vary greatly in appearance.
When open during the day, they are up to 10 cm long and up to 7 centimetres in diameter.
