Echinocactus grusonii

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• Classification Schemes
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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
PLANTAE	TRACHEOPHYTA	MAGNOLIOPSIDA	CARYOPHYLLALES	CACTACEAE

Scientific Name:	Echinocactus grusonii
Species Authority:	Hildm.
Common Name/s: English – Golden Barrel Spanish – Barril Dorado, Biznaga Amarilla, Biznaga Dorada, Bola de Oro
Taxonomic Notes:	Accepted as a valid species by Anderson (2001) and Hunt (1999).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Critically Endangered A2acd; B1ab(v)+2ab(v); C1 ver 3.1
Year Published:	2002
Annotations:	Needs updating
Assessor/s:	Fitz Maurice, W.A. & Fitz Maurice, B.
Reviewer/s:	Stuppy, W. & Taylor, N.P. (Cacti & Succulent Plant Red List Authority)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Qualifies due to its limited range, relatively small numbers of plants and the fact that the population was critically reduced by the creation of the Zimapán dam and reservoir in the 1990s. The area of occupancy is less than 10 km². Illegal collecting continues to further reduce the population. The generation time is estimated to be 30 years.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species occurs on medium to steep slopes of volcanic rock near Mesa de Léon. The extent of occurrence is 25 km² whereas the area of occupancy is less than 10 km². The total number of plants is estimated to be less than 250.
Countries:	Native: Mexico (Querétaro)
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Semi-desert, among volcanic rocks on medium to steep slopes at an altitude of about 1,400 m.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

Illegal collecting.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:

Listed on CITES App.II, but the laws governing imports in the countries of destination need to be enforced. This is one of the most widely propagated cacti, with literally millions of individuals grown by commercial nurseries and hobbyists, thus making it very readily available throughout the world, but that does not stop the ongoing poaching.

Bibliography [top]

Anderson, E.F. 2001. The Cactus Family. Timber Press, Portland. Hunt, D. 1999. CITES Cactaceae Checklist, 2nd ed. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and International Organization for Succulent Plant Study (IOS). IUCN. 2002. 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 8 October 2002.