Scientific Name
Ferocactus glaucescens (DC.) Britton & Rose
Common Name(s)
Blue Barrel Cactus, Glaucous Barrel Cactus
Synonym(s)
Bisnaga glaucescens, Echinocactus glaucescens, Echinocactus pfeifferi, Ferocactus pfeifferi
Scientific Classification
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Cacteae
Genus: Ferocactus
Flower
Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Late spring and summer
Description
Ferocactus glaucescens is a barrel cactus with usually solitary bluish-green stems with 11 to 15 ribs and clusters of light yellow spines. The stem grows up to 22 inches (55 cm) tall and 20 inches (50 cm) in diameter. Each areole bears 0 or 1 central spine and 6 to 7 radial spines per areole. The spines are up to 1.6 inches (4 cm) long.
The flowers are lemon yellow, funnel-shaped, and up to 1.6 inches (4 cm) in diameter. The stems start flowering at about 5 inches (12.5 cm) in diameter. The fruits are white, 0.8 inches (2 cm) long, with the remnants of the flowers attached.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 9b to 11b: from 25 °F (−3.9 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Choose a planting location that receives direct sun during all or most of the day. Because Ferocactus eventually leans into the sun instead of growing precisely upright and because it has extremely sharp thorns, place it where people will not brush into it accidentally.
Plant your cactus in early spring before new roots begin to form in late June and early July. The roots may appear dry, which is typical before new growth begins. Dig a hole deep enough for the plant's roots and amend it as needed to provide fast-draining soil. A good soil mixture includes 10 percent native soil, 45 percent washed sand or pumice, and 45 percent compost. Ferocactus thrives in poor and arid soil.
Water the cactus at the planting time to anchor it into the soil. Water again only if the weather in your area is unseasonably dry and if normal spring or winter rainfall doesn't occur.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Ferocactus.
Origin
Ferocactus glaucescens is native to eastern Central Mexico.
Links
- Back to genus Ferocactus
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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