Cottontop Cactus (Echinocactus polycephalus) in Death Valley

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Cottontop Cactus (Echinocactus polycephalus) look like a cross between a Hedgehog Cactus and a Barrel Cactus. Individual stems look like barrel cactus, but they grow in clumps like hedgehogs. The stems grow to about 12-inches in diameter and about 15-inches tall, and they have ribs (flutes) running from bottom to top. The stems are loosely covered with relatively long, stout, flattened spines like those on barrel cactus. Flowers grow from the top of the stems, and the fruits are covered in soft, woolly spines. Clumps grow to about 3-ft in diameter and height.

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Size: 5616px × 3735px
Photo credit: © Dacorum Gold / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: america, cactus, cottontop, death, echinocactus, polycephalus, states, united, usa, valley