Coryphantha
scheeri var. robustispina
(Coryphantha
robustispina)
Pima
Pineapple Cactus
Federal
Threatened and Endangered Species status: ENDANGERED
THREATS:
Aggressive development. Also grazing, off-road driving, and possibly
collection.
Photos
on this page were taken in an area where the cacti are especially abundant.
Since July 2000,
development
has destroyed many plants in this locality and over one hundred square
miles of habitat.
Identified
by its very large tubercles, stout spines, yellow flowers, and geographic
range:
Sonoran
desert upland and grassland surrounding the Santa Rita Mountains, Pima
and Santa Cruz Counties, Arizona.
NOTE:
This cactus appears on the USFWS Federal Endangered Species list as "Coryphantha
scheeri var. robustispina".
In
the Flora
of North America it is C. robustispina.
Southern
Arizona Desert Botany
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| Bloom Day - July 15,
2010 - Celebrating ten years in Pima Pineapple Cactus Land! More
photos on my BLOG. |
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MONSOON
FIRE! July 2003
Flower color varies from
pale straw yellow to lemon or
deep gold. Backs
of petals are pinkish bronze.
POSTCARD
at CafePress. |
Flower
buds develop in spring, but remain dormant
until several days after
the first significant monsoon rain.
All plants bloom at once,
and only for one day.
In wet years, plants
may bloom twice (May and July). |
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A
dead plant becomes a hollow ball of spines.
(The "monsoon fire" plant,
July 2006.) |
Why
it's called PINEAPPLE cactus. |
Shallow
radiating roots drink the sheetwash.
Unlike many other barrel-type
cacti, there
is no central "umbilical
cord" or taproot. |
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Flowers
(like those of many cacti) are slightly fluorescent in daylight.
This adds a subtle glow to their earthy/sunny beauty,
but can be quite difficult
to photograph, especially since "bloom day" is usually humid and partly
cloudy. |
As pretty as the flowers
are, they are of only minor use in identifying the cactus.
The plant itself is distinctive
and uniquely beautiful, and unlikely to be confused with any other cactus
within its range.
This photo shows the
characteristic large knoblike tubercles and stout, colorful spines.
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All
Coryphantha
species have TUBERCLES with a central groove on top.
Vegetative buds have no
central spine on the first row of tubercles.
New tubercles with soft
spines crown the plant in spring. |
FRUITS
are greenish yellow. Photo taken in mid-
August shows two ripe fruits
from May flowers
and five smaller fruits
from late July flowers. |
BUD GROWTH
Mature plants often produce
vegetative "buds" at the base. These are individual young plants
that can survive if the old plant dies.
In a wet spring they
may produce several tiny buds at once. In rare cases, several "generations"
of buds form a complete ring around the parent plant.
The bud-producing strategy
may be an adaptation to temperature extremes (105+ summer highs and occasional
winter freezes) in a very dry environment.
It is also seen (though
less frequently) in the Arizona Turk's Head Cactus
and Needlespine Cactus. (Go to HOME
for more photos of these species.)
The plant pictured below
was found in July 2000 with 12 buds, each about one inch in diameter.
By 2006, the plant had 22 buds in three size classes.
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| July
14, 2004 |
July
2, 2006 |
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| July
25, 2007 |
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| PAINTING:
Handground mineral pigments in egg tempera. Copyright 2000 by Lorena
B. Moore. |
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Young
Arizona Barrel Cactus Ferocactus wislizeni
Compass Barrel, Fish Hook
Barrel. MORE PHOTOS |
The unique Pima Pineapple
Cactus often grows with the barrel cactus (young plant shown above).
Barrels have longitudinal
RIBS, not conical TUBERCLES. Large red central spines are flattened,
ridged, and always hooked.
