Pediocactus nigrispinus

Pediocactus nigrispinus is a species in the cactus family with the common names snowball cactus, Columbia Plateau cactus, and basalt cactus. It is found in dry areas in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. have tried to make it the Official State Cactus for Washington State.

Description

Initially spherical, the plant transforms into an egg-shaped configuration as it matures into a densely spiny ovoid form. It grows to tall and from wide. It usually develops into a cluster of ribbed stems, which are wide and green to grayish-blue.
There is a characteristic dense arrangement of 4 to 11 large central spines, measuring long and yellowish to reddish-brown. There are 15–35 smaller, whitish spines up to 1.5 cm long.
The showy pink to magenta flowers appear in the spring and form a cluster near the apex of each stem.

Taxonomy

It was described in 1992 by Fritz Hochstätter, who named it after its black spines.

Distribution and habitat

The Columbia Plateau cactus grows in big sagebrush and lower montane dry habitats in eastern Washington and Oregon and extending into Idaho in dry regions, steppes and semi-deserts on hills or rocky outcrops at altitudes between. It grows in scattered locations but is often locally abundant. Other plants in the habitat include Opuntia polyacantha and O. fragilis.