Ferocactus robustus forms large cushions reaching a height up to 100 centimetres (39 in) and a diameter up to 5 metres (16 ft). This plant is spherical to club-shaped and has eight sharp-edged tuberous ribs with a diameter of 8 to 16 centimeters. The areoles, where thorns arise, are spaced far apart. The reddish or purple thorns include four to seven strong, protruding, straight central spines up to 6 centimeters long, and 10 to 14 lighter-colored radial spines, with upper ones resembling the central spines and lower ones being bristle-like.
The funnel-shaped flowers are yellow and reach a length of 3–4 centimetres (1.2–1.6 in). The fruits are spherical, fleshy, yellow, 2 to 3 inches long.[2]
Initially described as Echinocactus robustus in 1837 by Ludwig Georg Karl Pfeiffer, it was later classified under the genus FerocactusbyNathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose in 1922.[3] The species epithet 'robustus' is Latin for 'strong,' 'rough,' or 'firm,' referring to its robust appearance.[4]
^N. L. Britton; J. N. Rose (1922), The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family (in German), vol. Band III, Washington: The Carnegie Institution of Washington, p. 133
^Pfeiffer, Ludwig Georg Karl (1837). Enumeratio diagnostica cactearum hucusque cognitarum /auctore Ludovico Pfeiffer. Berolini: L. Oehmigke. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.15207.
^Britton, Nathaniel Lord; Eaton, Mary E.; Rose, J. N.; Wood, Helen Adelaide (1919). The Cactaceae: descriptions and illustrations of plants of the cactus family. Washington: Carnegie Institution of Washington. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.46288.
Media related to Ferocactus robustus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Ferocactus robustus at Wikispecies
