| Common Name |
California Barrel Cactus, Compass Barrel Cactus |
| Latin Name |
Ferocactus acanthodes |
| Family |
Cactaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
8-24 / 9-10 |
| Type / Form |
Cactus / Medium |
| Native Habitat |
Below 5,000 feet in Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and Mojave
Deserts with Saguaro or Joshua tree |
| Soil |
Dry decomposed granite, sand, limestone, low organic
content, well drained |
| Exposure |
Full sun |
| Water |
None |
| Height X Width |
To 6 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
Spines |
| Leaves |
None Evergreen |
| Flowers |
Yellow to orange to red flowers in late summer or early
fall |
| Bark / Roots |
NA |
| Maintenance |
None |
| Propagation |
Seeds |
| Pests and Diseases |
None |
| Landscape uses |
Container, rock garden, low maintenance, specimen |
| Garden Suitability |
Sonoran, Ethnobotanical |
| Nature Value |
Fruits eaten by birds and some mammals |
| Native American Uses |
Flowers boiled and eaten, pulp made into candy, survival
water source, spines used for needles, awls, tattooing, and land
navigation (Cactus always leans southward towards sun) |
| Links |
|
| Images, and
data |
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/63231/ |
| Images, and
data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Ferocactus_cylindraeus.html |
| Images and data |
http://ag.arizona.edu/yuma/horticulture/moody_garden/garden_plant/barrel_cactus_ferocactus_echinocactus_acanthodes/barrel_cactus.htm |
| Images, and
data |
http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/FEROCACTUS/Ferocactus_acanthoides/Ferocactus_acanthodes/Ferocactus_acanthodes.htm |
| Images, and
data |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=3573 |
| Images |
http://www.fotosearch.com/STK019/bsh1128/ |
| Nursery, images, and data |
http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/307.htm |
| Nursery |
Oak Hills Nursery, 13874 Ranchero Road, Oak Hills, 92345,
760-947-6261 |
| Distribution map |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=3573 |
