Coryphantha erecta

Coryphantha erecta is a cactus from Mexico. It belongs to the Cactaceae family. People call it pincushion cactus or hedgehog cactus. Kew gives its range as northeastern Mexico, as far as Veracruz. LLIFLE lists Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí. It grows in dry scrub in the southern Chihuahuan Desert region. Wild plants grow on rocky mountain slopes. These have limestone gravel or volcanic rock. The species still grows widely and in large numbers. Farming, road building and mining have shrunk some local groups.

Young plants start with one upright stem. They then form clumps at the base. They lack stolons, or runners, and a taproot. Stems reach about 1 foot [0.3 m] tall. Rare plants reach about 1.6 feet [0.5 m]. Each stem measures 0.16–0.26 feet [0.05–0.08 m] across. Stems range from yellow-green to bright green. Raised bumps, called tubercles, form a loose pattern on them. Each bump has a cone shape. Young tubercle axils hold white wool and small yellow glands. These axils lie where the bumps join the stem. Some bumps have a groove along the top. A mature head may have bumps with and without grooves.

Each spine cluster has eight to fourteen radial spines. Some have as many as eighteen. These spines spread out and point up. They are straight, with an awl shape. They range from yellow to amber and golden brown. Most clusters also have two yellow-brown central spines. Some may have four. The upper central spine stays short. The lower one curves and can reach 0.07 feet [0.02 m]. Yellow flowers form short funnels that open almost flat. Narrow perianth segments make up the outer flower parts. The blooms span 0.16–0.23 feet [0.05–0.07 m]. Green fruits follow, with a cylinder shape. They reach 0.05–0.07 feet [0.015–0.02 m] long.

LLIFLE calls this cactus easy to grow. Give it good drainage and full sun or part shade. Rain falls in summer in its home range. Keep it drier in winter. Outdoor plants can still cope with some wet conditions. Reported frost limits range from about −5 to −10°C. Clones vary a lot in how much cold they withstand. This range is thus not a fixed limit. Grow new plants from seed or offsets when available. Seeds need no dormant period. They sprout best at 25°C. Growers also use grafting, but less often.

Specialist cactus collections include this species. It has a small role as a garden plant. The supplied sources give no pest or disease details for this species. They also give no evidence of edible uses or toxicity.