One of the more common species of “hedgehog,” sometimes called
“Engelmann echinocereus,” the strawberry echinocereus grows as 2 to 12
or more robust, cylindrical stems up to a foot in height, among the
creosote bushes and bur-sages of the Sonoran and Mojave-Colorado
Deserts, flowering from February to May. Flowers close at night and
reopen the following morning. Blossoms vary considerably in color from
purple to lavender. Spines, too, are variable, from gray and yellow to
dark brown. In southeastern California, where it is common, this species
is called “calico cactus” because of its many-colored spines. Fruits of
some varieties (of which there are many) are edible, forming an
important item in the diet of birds and rodents.
_Echinocereus engelmanii_ Cactus Family
[Illustration: STRAWBERRY ECHINOCEREUS]