The taxonomy of this genus is complicated due to fuzzy taxonomic boundaries, polytypic taxa, and differing interpretations by specialists. Most North American botanists recognize about 50 species, while the Echinocereus specialists in Germany recognize more than 70 species[]. We are following the treatment of David Hunt, 2016 in CITES Cactaceae Checklist, Third Edition, ISBN 978-0-9933113-2-1.

Common Name:

General Information

Echinocereus ledingii is a spiny, evergreen, succulent, perennial cactus. It forms a rather open clump of 4 - 15 erect, cylindrical stems around 15 - 50cm tall and 6 - 8cm in diameter[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Echinocereus ledingii occurs on the top on several mountains. Given the isolation of its populations, the probability of the species being affected by the same threat is low. Furthermore, it is locally abundant and not exposed to any major threat. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southwest N. America - southeast Arizona

Habitat

Chaparral, growing on rocky, gravelly, sandy slopes; at elevations from 1,219 - 2,012 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

In cultivation, Cactus plants generally will not succeed in moist climates. They usually require a sunny position in a well-drained, circumneutral soil and to be kept more or less dry in the dormant season[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. A white pulp[]. The green to red, fleshy, globose fruit is 20 - 30mm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -