Diploid hedgehog cactus formerly included in Engelmann's

Description:

Formerly placed in with the tetraploid Echinocereus engelmannii (and once recognized as var. purpureus which was for a time a federally listed species), as of December 14, 2016 this plant would fall into the diploid Echinocereus relictus based on studies by Blake Wellard and his late 2016 publication.One of the most truly beautiful species on the planet, bar none (not referring to "just" cactus or even "just" plants). Very few plants of this species growing in the area. A fair amount of invasive/non-native grass was afflicting this plant which I did attempt to pull before taking this picture, but you can see that I missed some at the left and at the center/right base of plant and in the lower left foreground (looks like it was probably Red Brome; it was to some degree suffocating this plant). The flower colors seem to be "true" as I recall them and no color or other adjustments were made to this picture.Plants in this area were found by Marc Baker et al to be diploid which is what led to the investigation by Wellard. The range of this relict diploid appears to be extreme southwestern Utah in Washington County and just somewhat into northwestern Arizona.The diploid species tend to be less robust yet curiously also tend to have more ribs than the tetraploid species.These plants and their habitat should not be disturbed any further (not bulldozed, not transplanted). Enough have been decimated already.April 30, 2005, Washington Co. Utah, about 2,630 ft. elev. and only a little more than about one mile north of the Utah-Arizona border. (Near the type locality for E. relictus.)