Claret Cup Cactus

One of the most attractive hedgehog cacti is the claret cup, which grows in clumps as much as 3–4 feet across but usually smaller. The bright red-orange flowers often cover the whole plant, which is cylindrical and low-growing, often hugging up against some larger plant. The numerous flowers grow at the top of the stems, all about the same height, giving a full view of all the flowers at one glance. They last for several days. The flowers vary slightly in color as a result of soil type or genetic differences. Among the most beautiful cacti; large plants with many stems in full flower make breathtaking mounds of scarlet. Stems are highly variable, often with two strikingly different forms growing in the same area. http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ECTR

Area: Northeast / Franklin Mountains

Source: EPMH

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History