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What is a Strawberry Hedgehog (Echinocereus engelmannii)

What is a Strawberry Hedgehog

What-is-a-Strawberry-Hedgehog-Cactus

What is a Strawberry Hedgehog

Below is a transcription of the above sign found at the Valley of Fire Visitor Center.

Strawberry Hedgehog or Calico Cactus – Echinocereus engelmannii

  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Clade: Tracheophytes
  • Clade: Angiosperms
  • Clade: Eudicots
  • Order: Caryophyllales
  • Family: Cactaceae
  • Subfamily: Cactoideae
  • Genus: Echinocereus
  • Species: E. engelmannii

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COMMUNITY

Mixed Cliff Semi-Scrub and Creosote Bush Scrub

HABITAT

Rocky slopes in higher parts of desert.

ELEVATION

2500 to 3800 ft (800 to 1250m)

TYPE OF SOIL

Limestone cliffs, gravelly slopes

SOURCE OF WATER

Surface

BLOOMS

April-June

HEIGHT

6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm)

POLLINATION

Insects, wind

ADAPTATION FOR SURVIVAL

Showy blossoms attract pollinators.

Like all cacti, stores water in stem to draw on during drought.

COMMENTS

Sweet and juicy dark red fruit tastes like ripe strawberry, hence the name.

A common cactus, important food for many birds and mammals, and a great delicacy to Indians of the region.

What is a Strawberry Hedgehog