Pediocactus simpsonii

Pediocactus simpsonii
Pediocactus simpsonii blooming Mount Falcon Park, Jefferson County, Colorado

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Pediocactus
Species:
P. simpsonii
Binomial name
Pediocactus simpsonii
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Echinocactus simpsonii Engelm. (1863)
    • Echinocactus simpsonii f. minor (Engelm.) Schelle (1907)
    • Echinocactus simpsonii var. minor Engelm. (1863)
    • Echinocactus simpsonii var. robustior J.M.Coult. (1896)
    • Mammillaria purpusii K.Schum. (1894)
    • Mammillaria simpsonii (Engelm.) M.E.Jones (1893)
    • Mammillaria spaethiana Späth (1895)
    • Pediocactus hermannii W.T.Marshall (1954)
    • Pediocactus nigrispinus subsp. indranus (Hochstätter) Hochstätter (2003)
    • Pediocactus robustior (J.M.Coult.) Arp (1972)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. acklinii Hochstätter (1997)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii subsp. bensonii Hochstätter (1995)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii var. caespiticus Backeb. (1961)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. campestris Hochstätter (1997)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. dinosauriensis Hochstätter (1997)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. flaminggorgensis Hochstätter (1997)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. flinspachii Hochstätter (1997)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii var. hermannii (W.T.Marshall) W.T.Marshall (1957)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii subsp. idahoensis Hochstätter (1997)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii subsp. indranus (Hochstätter) Hochstätter (1995)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii var. indranus Hochstätter (1990)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. kuenzleri Hochstätter (1997)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii var. minor (Engelm.) Cockerell (1918)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. montanensis Hochstätter (1997)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. muehlii Hochstätter (1997)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. prairie Hochstätter (1995)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii subsp. robustior (J.M.Coult.) Hochstätter (1995)
    • Pediocactus simpsonii f. sandiamontanus Hochstätter (1997)

Pediocactus simpsonii, known by the common names mountain cactus, snowball cactus, and mountain ball cactus, is a relatively common cactus that has adapted to survive in cold and dry environments in high elevation areas of the western United States. It can be found at higher elevations than any other cactus in North America. While not a landscape dominating plant, it is a relatively common species and the most common member of the genus Pediocactus. Because of its beauty and adaptation to cold environments it is sometimes grown by gardeners in areas that have few other choices due to the limited number of cactuses with cold adaptations. Like many cactuses its populations are sometimes threatened by this desirability due to the theft or removal of plants from the wild by collectors.

  1. ^ NatureServe (2023). "Pediocactus simpsonii". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference POWO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).