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Cochemiea dioica

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(Redirected from California fishhook cactus)

Cochemiea dioica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Cochemiea
Species:
C. dioica
Binomial name
Cochemiea dioica
(K.Brandegee) Doweld
Synonyms[2]
  • Chilita dioica (K.Brandegee) Buxb.
  • Ebnerella dioica (K.Brandegee) Buxb.
  • Mammillaria dioica K.Brandegee
  • Neomammillaria dioica (K.Brandegee) Britton & Rose

Cochemiea dioica, also called the strawberry cactus, California fishhook cactus, strawberry pincushion or fishhook cactus, is a cactus species of the genus Cochemiea.[3] Its common name in Spanish is biznaga llavina.[4] Temperature along with precipitation are consequential factors in distributing plant species.[5]

Distribution

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The cactus is found in the western Colorado Desert scrub including in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and in Coastal sage scrub habitats of Southern California; and in coastal chaparral and Sonoran Desert habitats of Baja California and Baja California Sur states on the Baja California peninsula of México.[6][7] It grows from 10–1,500 feet (3.0–457.2 m) in elevation.

Polyploid wild plants of this species have been found in Mexico. Both tetraploid and hexaploid varieties have been recorded.

Description

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Cochemiea dioica possesses short, firm tubercles ending in the spines. Most of these spines are whitish and straight, but each tubercle has a longer central spine which is slightly curved and dark.[8]

A single plant can bear both male and female flowers, from mid-spring to mid-summer. Some plants may produce bisexual flowers as well, thus totaling three types of flower on a single plant. The flowers are white to cream in color and range from 10 millimeters (0.4 inch) to 30 millimeters (1.2 inches) in length.[8]

The fruits produced are bright red and ovoid, often with one end thicker than the other and are edible and tastes like a cross between a strawberry and a kiwi. The seeds are small (0.6 to 0.8 millimeters), black, and pitted.[8]


Uses

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The Kumeyaay people (Diegueño), of Baja California and Southern California, eat the raw fruits as a food source.[9]

Cultivation

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Cochemiea dioica is cultivated by specialty cactus plant nurseries and by botanical gardens for plant sales. It requires very well-drained soil, and so is often grown in pots and in raised beds in drought tolerant gardens.[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  2. ^ "Cochemiea dioica (K.Brandegee) Doweld". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  3. ^ Calflora: Mammillaria dioica
  4. ^ IUCN Red List: Mammillaria dioica
  5. ^ Guisan, Antoine; Thuiller, Wilfried (September 2005). "Predicting species distribution: offering more than simple habitat models". Ecology Letters. 8 (9): 993–1009. Bibcode:2005EcolL...8..993G. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00792.x. ISSN 1461-023X. PMID 34517687.
  6. ^ efloras.org: Mammillaria dioica distribution map
  7. ^ Jepson
  8. ^ a b c efloras.org: Mammillaria dioica
  9. ^ University of Michigan, Dearborn: Native American Ethnobotany of Mammillaria dioica
  10. ^ Desert Tropicals.com: cultivation information and synonymy
  11. ^ PlantFiles.com: cultivation of Mammillaria dioica (Strawberry Cactus)
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