Ferocactus wislizeni, candybarrel cactus
Matthews, Robin F. 1994. Ferocactus wislizeni, candybarrel cactus. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/ferwis
| Abbreviation | Common Name | Scientific Name | Classification | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plants | ||||
| FERWIS | candybarrel cactus | Ferocactus wislizeni | Life Form: Plants/Cactus, Plants/Shrub, Plants/Tree Kingdom: Plantae Class: Dicot Order: Caryophyllales Family: Cactaceae Genus: Ferocactus | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
Taxonomy
The currently accepted scientific name of candybarrel cactus is Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelm.) Britt. & Rose (Cactaceae) [33,41]. There are no infrataxa.
Synonyms
- Echinocactus wislizenii Engelm. [1,17,36]
- Ferocactus wislizenii (Engelm.) Britt. & Rose [1,36,38]
Other Common Names
candybarrel cactus, southwestern barrel cactus
General Distribution
Candybarrel cactus is distributed in southeastern Arizona from Maricopa and Pima to Greenlee and Cochise counties, east to southern New Mexico from Hidalgo County to southwestern Lincoln County, and in El Paso County, Texas. Candybarrel cactus is also found in Mexico to Sinaloa and Chihuahua [1,17,36,38]. It is cultivated in Hawaii [40].
States and Provinces
- United States: AZ, HI, NM, TX
- Mexico
Site Characteristics
Candybarrel cactus is found on rocky, gravelly, or sandy soils of hills, flats, canyons, wash margins, and alluvial fans in desert shrublands and grasslands from 990 to 5,280 feet (300-1,600 m) elevation [1,35,38]. It also extends into woodland communities occurring at elevations below 6,500 feet (1,970 m) [14]. Candybarrel cactus is frost-sensitive [28], which is a limiting site factor at higher elevations and northern latitudes.
Plant Communities
Candybarrel cactus is primarily found in desert grassland and desert shrub habitats in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts [1,5,14,27]. It also extends into communities at higher elevations in interior chaparral and is found in the Madrean evergreen woodland in encinal woodlands with a mixture of evergreen oaks (Quercus spp.) and junipers (Juniperus spp.) [5,14]. Candybarrel cactus is not listed as a dominant or codominant species in available publications.
Some species generally associated with candybarrel cactus include prickly pear or cholla (Opuntia spp.), acacia (Acacia spp.), ocotillo (Fouqueria splendens), yucca (Yucca spp.), saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), grama (Bouteloua spp.), and threeawn (Aristida spp.) [3,4,18,21].
Botanical Description
Candybarrel cactus is a native stem succulent that is barrel-shaped or sometimes columnar with rarely more than one stem. It ranges from 2 to 10 feet (3 m) tall, with a diameter of 18 to 33 inches (45-83 cm). Candybarrel cactus has 20 to 28 ribs. The spines are dense, somewhat obscuring the surface of the stem. There are four central spines per areole, the larger ones 1.5 to 2 inches (3.8-5.0 cm) long, and 12 to 20 radial spines to 1.8 inches (4.5 cm) in length. Flowers form on growth of the current season near the stem apex. The fruit is yellow, barrel-shaped, and fleshy at maturity [1,17,36].
According to Cannon [7], the root system of candybarrel cactus is shallow and confined to the upper soil layers. At one site a main anchoring root extended down to about 8 inches (20 cm) and had several short laterals. Horizontal roots originated from the root crown and were very shallow. Depth of burial decreased with distance from the plant and ranged from 0.6 to 1.2 inches (1.5-3.0 cm). Roots were often exposed after rain storms.
Raunkiaer Life Form (Raunkiaer 1934)
- Stem succulent [22]
Seasonal Development
Candybarrel cactus flowers sporadically in late spring and profusely in the summer (July to September) [1,17].
Regeneration Processes
Glendening [10] stated that candybarrel cactus reproduces from seeds only, which are dispersed by birds and rodents [10,38]. No offsets were reported after fires in southern Arizona; growth was from the apical meristem only [31]. Ferocactus species will often branch at the apex following injury to the terminal bud [1].
Limiting factors for germination of candybarrel cactus seeds are temperature and light. Greatest germination takes place at 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (20-30 deg C) after at least 8 hours of light. Seeds do not germinate in the dark [12].
Successional Status
Candybarrel cactus' life span has been reported to be from 50 [11] to 130 years [26]. It is a climax member of the desert grassland [27].
Immediate Fire Effects
Candybarrel cactus plants more than 1 foot (0.3 m) tall are rarely killed by fire since only their spines are combustible. However, plants less than that height may suffer up to 75 percent mortality as a direct result of fire damage to the apical meristem, or a combination of fire damage to the meristem and damage from herbivory [16].
Succculents in general rarely actually burn, but spines may ignite and carry flames to the apex. The cactus body may scorch and blister without pyrolysis, leaving undamaged parts of the plant alive. Mortality results from death of the photosynthetic tissue and underlying cambium and phloem. Cacti may appear completely scorched with no green tissue visible, yet survive fire. However, fire can cause delayed mortality, which may not occur for months or even years [30]. Removal of the spines also increases subsequent herbivory [23,30]. Survival of succulents depends primarily on protection of the apical meristem. If the apical meristem is undamaged, the cactus will resume growth [30].
Postfire Regeneration Strategy
- No entry
Fire Ecology and Fire Adaptations
Large succulents such as candybarrel cactus have a thick cortex that insulates the vascular tissue. The cortex thickens with age, so older individuals may be more resistant to fire than younger ones. Taller individuals are more likely to survive fire because the apical meristem may be above flame height. Cacti escape fire in refugia and in areas with fuels too sparse to carry fire. Cacti do not appear to store seed in soil seedbanks [30].
Although desert vegetation rarely burns completely due to a lack of continuous fuels, unusually heavy winter rains may produce a cover of annual species dense enough to carry a fire when cured. Fires resulting from this situation tend to occur at the desert-desert grassland ecotone [16], a common habitat of candybarrel cactus. Thomas [30] has cited references suggesting that fire intervals in desert grasslands may be as short as 3 to 40 years. Repeated fires may be disastrous to candybarrel cactus populations, whose recovery period has been estimated at more than 15 years [37]. Most desert habitat does not produce enough vegetation to support frequent fires. If frequent fires do occur they gradually reduce succulent populations, although a small percentage of individuals may survive in refugia [30].
Plant Response to Fire
Average mortalities of 50 to 67 percent have been reported for candybarrel cactus within the first 2 years following fire in desert grassland and desert shrub communities in southern Arizona [13,15,23,32,37].
Two consecutive winters of heavy rain produced enough fuel to carry a fire in a portion of the Sonoran Desert where fire is usually considered ecologically insignificant. Following the Granite Fire in Arizona in June 1979, large-diameter cacti including candybarrel cactus had the lowest mortality rate of all cacti. Many severely burned plants survived and produced flowers and seeds. An average of 20 plants per hectare occurred on unburned sites, and 15 plants per hectare occurred on burns in postfire years 1 and 2. Candybarrel cactus had an overall mortality rate of 59 percent in burned areas within the first 19 postfire months [21].
Candybarrel cactus had an average of 6 percent and 31 percent mortality on unburned and burned sites, respectively, following fires in semidesert grasslands on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and in the Sierrita Mountains of southern Arizona. Plants were counted within 11 to 14 postfire months. Candybarrel cactus also had significantly greater (p<.001) fire mortality when under a mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) canopy (53%) than in open grassy areas (19%) [31].
Fire Regimes
For fire regime information, search FEIS for this species by entering the species name or acronym on the home page and selecting “Fire Regime” as the publication type.
Fire Management Considerations
No entry.
Federal Status
None
Other Status
No entry.
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock
Candybarrel cactus is often consumed by cattle and rabbits if the spines are removed by a disturbance such as fire [10,14,34].
Mule deer in the Sonoran Desert readily consume candybarrel cactus fruits. Mule deer diets consisted of 35.6, 42.5, 5.4, and 1.9 percent candybarrel cactus fruits in the fall, winter, spring, and summer, respectively [24,25]. Collared peccary also consume candybarrel cactus fruits when they are available [39].
Candybarrel cactus seeds are eaten by many birds [38].
Palatability and Nutritional Value
Candybarrel cactus fruits are reported to be highly digestible (greater than 50% of dry matter) by mule deer. The following in vitro dry matter digestibility (DMD) and nutrient values (%) were reported for candybarrel cactus fruits in different seasons on the Santa Rita Experimental Range in southern Arizona [24]:
| Nutrient | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMD | 59.5 | 78.1 | 60.9 | 73.5 |
| Protein | 7.8 | 8.6 | 6.2 | 10.8 |
| Phosphorous | 0.20 | 0.21 | 0.18 | 0.23 |
| P/Ca | 0.65 | 0.48 | 0.47 | 0.61 |
Cover Value
No entry.
Value for Rehabilitation or Restoration of Disturbed Sites
No entry.
Other Uses
American Indians have used candybarrel cactus pulp for making jelly and cactus candy [19,36]. Candybarrel cactus is extensively collected and used in landscaping themes and cactus gardens [38].
Other Management Considerations
Glendening [10] and Brown [4] reported that candybarrel cactus increased over 17- or 18-year periods, respectively, on desert grasslands of Arizona. Both studies included treatments that excluded cattle and rabbits (no grazing), excluded cattle only (light grazing), and contained areas open to grazing. The following average numbers of candybarrel cactus plants under each treatment were reported by Glendening [10] on the Santa Rita Experimental Range:
| Year | No grazing | Light grazing | Open |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 1949 | 30.5 | 24.0 | 5.0 |
Blydenstein [3] stated that there was no significant difference in frequency of candybarrel cactus between lightly grazed desert shrub communities and communities that had been protected from grazing for 50 years.
Candybarrel cactus populations are negatively affected by urban development and cactus collection [27].
Table A1— Forest and range ecosystems, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society for American Foresters (SAF) forest cover types, and Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) rangeland cover types in which this species occurs.
Forest and Range Ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977)
- FRES30 Desert shrub
- FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
- FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
- FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
- FRES40 Desert grasslands
BLM Physiographic Regions (Bernard and Brown 1977)
- 7 Lower Basin and Range
- 12 Colorado Plateau
- 13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
- 14 Great Plains
Kuchler Plant Associations (Kuchler 1964)
- K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
- K027 Mesquite bosque
- K031 Oak - juniper woodlands
- K040 Saltbush - greasewood
- K041 Creosotebush
- K042 Creosotebush - bursage
- K043 Paloverde - cactus shrub
- K044 Creosotebush - tarbush
- K046 Desert: vegetation largely lacking
- K053 Grama - galleta steppe
- K054 Grama - tobosa prairie
- K058 Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
SAF Cover Types (Eyre 1980)
- 68 Mesquite
- 239 Pinyon - juniper
- 241 Western live oak
- 242 Mesquite
SRM Rangeland Cover Types (Shiflet 1994)
- No entry
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