Ferocactus

Dilemma for the Mexican government

Fero means ‘powerful’. This part of the name Ferocactus refers to the strong, sometime hooked, thorns on the ribs of this barrel-shaped cactus. A young Ferocactus is a sphere that expands to a 30 – 60 cm wide, dark green or grey-green disk.

Ferocactus macrodiscus flowers from April to July with (up to) 4 cm long, bell-shaped flowers that can be yellow, orange, red or purple. Bees act as pollinators. After flowering, strawberry-red, round, fleshy fruit are formed, which can be doused in sugar and eaten as sweets, hence the name candy cactus or sweet cactus. In the wild, the fruits are eaten by birds, rodents, sheep, donkeys and peccaries. This species is very popular with cactus collectors.

Ecology and habitat

The candy cactus is only found in Mexico in a relatively small area with only a dozen or so localities. The species grows in dry grassland and dry oak wood, at altitudes between 2000 and 3000 m. In times of extended drought the plant shrinks away into the ground and is barely visible until the following wet spell. It survives with help from water and nutrients stored in the strong taproot that enables the Ferocactus macrodiscus to live in the intense dryness of this part of Mexico. With these extreme adaptations it can just about survive in places where other plants simply can’t.

Threat

The harsh environment inhabited by this species is threatened by advancing agriculture and cattle grazing. With the introduction of irrigation and fertilisers, the candy cactus is disappearing. This poses a dilemma for the Mexican government: agriculture and cattle ranching equates to income and employment for many poor people. Should this be at the expense of protecting the candy cactus though? Nowhere does Ferorcactus macrodiscus grow in a protected site. In this instance collectors do not pose any extra threat, ferocacti are cultivated elsewhere and cater for demand.