Echinocereus parkeri

Echinocereus parkeri is a species of cactus native to Mexico.

Description

Echinocereus parkeri grows in compact cushions or open groups with many shoots. The shoots, which are tapered or cylindrical, can reach up to in length and in diameter. They have six to ten tuberculated ribs. The one to eight central spines, initially dark but soon turning glassy white to yellowish, range from long. The six to 18 slender, mostly glassy radial spines are long.
The funnel-shaped flowers are magenta to deep pink with a white throat. They appear near the tips of the shoots, measuring in length and in diameter. The green, spherical fruits have white flesh and are covered with falling, glassy white spines.

Subspecies

Accepted subspecies:

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
	Echinocereus parkeri subsp. arteagensis	Mexico
	Echinocereus parkeri subsp. gonzalezii	Mexico Northeast
	Echinocereus parkeri subsp. mazapilensis	Mexico
	Echinocereus parkeri subsp. parkeri	Mexico Northeast

Distribution

Echinocereus parkeri is found growing in the Chihuahuan Desert in the Mexican states of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas at elevations of 1450 to 1900 meters. Plants are found growing among Mammillaria melanocentra subsp. rubrograndis and Mammillaria glassii.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Nigel Paul Taylor in 1988. The specific epithet "parkeri" honors David Parker, the founder of the British "Echinocereus Reference Collection."