Golden Barrel-cactus

More numerous in gardens than in the wild

The genus Echinocactus is a very distinctive group of five extremely drought tolerant cacti species, usually with yellow flowers. The 'mother-in-law’s chair’, as the Dutch call it, can grow up to 80 cm thick and is usually barrel shaped with yellow thorns and flowers. It is of great value to the ornamental plant trade. As with other species of the genus Echinocactus this trade has made wild specimens vulnerable. In the wild this species can be found in Central Mexico but only in two places where a mere 250 individuals, or thereabouts, grow in an area the size of Amsterdam. The last wild specimens can be seen on inaccessible cliffs above the reservoir near Zimapan.

In botanical collections and private gardens this plant usually does well and as a consequence there are many more barrel cacti outside its natural habitat than in the wild.

The habitat is flooded

If you look like a prickly ball you will run the risk of getting a nickname: ‘golden barrel cactus’ in English but in Dutch it is called ‘mother-in-law’s chair’. The genus name is Greek: echinos meaning ‘hedgehog’ or ‘prickle’. Cactus also comes from the Greek and refers to the spiny armour that is effective against all kinds of grazers. It is a sturdy, mainly spherical, plant with yellow thorns and flowers, which can grow to nearly 2 m in height but looses its characteristic shape in the process. It represents a very valuable species in the ornamental plant trade. This is making the wild population vulnerable, just like the other species in the genus Echinocactus.

Ecology and habitat

This species originates from central Mexico, in an area covering 25 km2 close to the city of Zimapán, and in a locality 500 km to the northwest (in Zacatecas). The genus Echinocactus is a well known group of five species usually with yellow flowers and of which the golden barrel cactus is a very rare species. As with all succulents this species is extremely drought tolerant. In the wild there are only about 250 individuals in an area the size of Amsterdam. They can grow to a diameter of 80 cm.

Threat

A large proportion of the natural habitat of the golden barrel cactus has been flooded by the construction of a dam near Zimapán. Some of the plants were dug up and replanted elsewhere but the last wild individuals can be seen on inaccessible pinnacles above the reservoir. A second population was found in 2004 by German cactus enthusiasts in Zacatecas about 500km to the northwest of the previously known population. The remaining wild population is now protected.