Claretcup Cactus
Echinocereus triglochidiatus
A mounding hedgehog cactus that lights up rocky slopes with brilliant scarlet, waxy cups, one of the few cacti pollinated by hummingbirds. Forms dense clumps of hundreds of stems with age. Like other hedgehog cacti, the sweet fruit is a traditional foraged treat once the spines are removed.
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.5–1.5 ft
- Spacing
- 1–3 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- April, May
- Bloom colors
- red, orange
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, hummingbirds
- Landscape uses
- foundation, container
- Native states
- AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, TX, UT
Related native plants
More Echinocereus species
- Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii)
- Claret Cup Cactus (Echinocereus coccineus)
- Nylon Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus viridiflorus)
- Texas Rainbow Cactus (Echinocereus dasyacanthus)
- Pitaya (Echinocereus enneacanthus)
- Strawberry Hedgehog (Echinocereus stramineus)