Personified as soldiers at sentinel among accumulated rocks, Echinocereus Engelmannii, or commonly Engelmann Hedgehog, often emulate a menacing morphology. Clutches of formidable spines in shades of red, brown, yellow, and white partially obscure the ribbed, succulent, dark green stems which tend to grow in clusters of 3 to 15.
E. Engelmannii has a widespread occurance and its endemic range passes through the Skull Rock portion of the Little San Bernardino Mountains. With abundance it flourishes in locations where sediment and small rocks are alamgamated in lee of much larger boulders or mountain ridges. Engelmann Hedgehog Rarely grows above two feet tall, and generally not more than 3 feet broad, although especially fertile grounds have resulted in larger specimens with up to 60 stems.
In March, April, and May, showy magenta flowers grow directly out of areoles, a tendancy shared among most all cactuses. In contrast, the majority of other Echinocereus species differ, with flowers starting from the stem in close proximity to, but avoiding areoles. Fruits are plump shades of red and orange, edible after spines are navigated. The history of botanical nomenclature associated with Engelmann Hedgehog is complicated, with many recent varieties sequestered to synonyms without the greater understanding needed to differentiate.
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