Cactus · Sonoran native
Claret Cup Hedgehog
Echinocereus triglochidiatus · Cactaceae
Also called: Claret Cup Cactus, Kingcup Cactus, Mojave Mound Cactus, Hedgehog Cactus
Claret Cup Hedgehog (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) is a very low-water cactus native to the Sonoran Desert region well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It thrives in full sun in the low desert, with a slow growth rate.
Claret Cup Hedgehog at a glance
- Water use
- Very Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun in the low desert; light afternoon shade is beneficial at hot, reflected-heat Tucson sites to prevent scald.
- Mature size
- 6-18 in H x 12-36 in W (forms dense rounded mounds that can reach 2-3 ft or more across with many stems over time)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Scarlet to orange-red (waxy, cup-shaped flowers that stay open day and night for several days), Spring (April-May).
- Cold hardiness
- Very cold hardy, to roughly -10 to -20 F (USDA zones 5-9); one of the most cold-tolerant cacti.
- Soil
- Fast-draining gravelly, rocky, or sandy soils; intolerant of standing water. Excellent drainage is essential, especially in summer monsoon rains.
- Native range
- Widespread across the southwestern U.S. — Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, west Texas, and Sonora/Chihuahua, Mexico; in Arizona more typical of higher-elevation desert, grassland, and chaparral than the lowest hot flats.
- Best used as
- Specimen / accent in rock and cactus gardens, Hummingbird and pollinator gardens, Higher-elevation and transition-zone xeriscapes, Container plantings, Naturalistic desert landscapes
- Wildlife
- Distinctive red, tubular, day-lasting flowers are one of the few cacti pollinated largely by hummingbirds; also visited by native bees. Fruits eaten by birds and rodents.
- Toxicity
- Non-toxic; fruit is edible. Spines are the only hazard.
How to grow Claret Cup Hedgehog in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Once established, essentially rainfall-dependent. Provide occasional deep water only during extended drought; keep dry in winter. Excess summer irrigation in poorly drained soil causes rot.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Not required. At most, one light spring application of dilute low-nitrogen cactus fertilizer; native desert soils are adequate.
Pruning & care
None needed. Remove damaged or rotted stems cleanly and allow to callus.
Notes
Prized for brilliant red hummingbird-pollinated flowers and exceptional cold hardiness. A taxonomically variable species; several former segregates are now lumped under it. Performs best in Tucson with sharp drainage and a touch of afternoon shade. Use nursery-grown stock.
Sources: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; AMWUA 'Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert'; Tohono Chul / Tucson Botanical Gardens