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Cactaceae
Golden Barrel Cactus
Echinocactus grusonii
Endurance, golden treasure, desert resilience.
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Echinocactus
- Native to
- Central Mexico
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- Cactus
- Height
- 60–120 cm (2–4 ft)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Sandy, gritty, very well-drained
- Water
- Very low
- Hardiness
- 9–11
- Lifespan
- Very long-lived (50–100 years)
Did you know
- Golden barrel cacti are nicknamed 'mother-in-law's cushion' for their round shape and vicious gold spines—a pun beloved by cactus collectors worldwide.
- Despite being one of the most popular cactus garden specimens on Earth, the species is critically endangered in the wild—the construction of a single Mexican dam in the 1990s destroyed most of its natural habitat.
- It can take 30 years for a golden barrel to reach blooming size—the small yellow flowers form a perfect crown on top of the spiny dome, like a halo of butter on a green pincushion.
- Golden barrels grow extremely slowly, just 1–2 cm per year, but they live for over a century—the largest specimens in cultivation are over 4 feet across and over 80 years old.
- The Mexican common name is 'asiento de la suegra'—literally 'mother-in-law's seat'—suggesting the plant's spiny defense was thought of as a metaphor long before English speakers picked up the joke.
Color meanings
0
endurance
1
golden treasure
2
desert resilience