Overview
The Cochise pincushion cactus (Coryphantha robbinsorum) was listed as threatened without designated critical habitat on January 9, 1986, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. In the United States, the taxon occurs among several limestone hills in Cochise County of southeastern Arizona. All known populations in Arizona are on privately owned lands or public land held in trust and managed by the Arizona State Land Department. The species may also occur in portions of southwestern New Mexico and northern Sonora, Mexico, but surveys are needed in these areas to make this determination. There has been no census of the complete population number or number of individuals, however reports range from dense clumps of hundreds of plants to more than 30,000 individuals estimated from three populations in the 1980s. Population trends between 1989 and 2006 indicated an overall declining trend. However, since 2009, the population seems stable based on annual random diameter measurements. Threats from drought and climate change climate change
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Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Life Cycle
- Cochise pincushion cactus fruits may contain up to 48 seeds, with an average of 26.16 seeds per fruit.
- Cochise pincushion cactus fruit and seed are likely dispersed through gravity, ants, small mammals, and birds.
- Adequate winter precipitation is required for seed germination and seedling growth.
- Seedlings that develop nearby the mother plant may be difficult to differentiate from vegetative pupping caused from damage to the mother plant.
- Seedling cacti, in general, have very small roots, and, therefore, limited ability to access deeper water sources.
- The seedling stage of small cacti is the most vulnerable life stage due to the likelihood of desiccation.
- Cacti, in general, are very slow growing.
- Damaged adult cacti may reproduce vegetatively through pupping.
The lifespan of Cochise pincushion cactus is unknown; estimates vary widely from 10 years to many decades.
Habitat
Cochise pincushion cactus habitat lies in the transition zone between the Chihuahuan desertscrub and semi-desert grassland at elevations from 1,280 to 1,433 meters. Within this habitat, the species occurs in hills composed of thin, gravelly loam over Permian limestone rock that is near the surface. Most Cochise pincushion cacti occur in the open and are exposed to full sunlight.
Ecosystem with large, flat areas of grasses.
Area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year.
Behavior
Cochise pincushion cactus habitat lies in the transition zone between the Chihuahuan Desert Scrub and Semi-desert Grassland at elevations from 1,280 to 1,433 meters. Within this habitat, the species occurs in hills composed of thin, gravelly loam over Permian limestone rock that is near the surface. Most Cochise pincushion cacti occur in the open and are exposed to full sunlight.
Physical Characteristics
Cochise pincushion cactus is a small perennial plant in the cactus family Cactaceae. The species is a succulent with a non-branching stem. Most of the plant’s stem is underground, usually only the top 1 centimeter protrudes above ground level and is less than 6 centimeters in diameter. During the spring and fall, when droughts normally occur, the plants shrink. The proportion of plant exposed during drought periods depends on the microsite. Plants growing on bedrock will shrink during droughts but cannot retract into the soil. In microsites with some accumulated soil, the plant surface can be flush with the substrate surface when retracted making them difficult to see. The largest spine in each cluster is dark tipped and the areoles where the spines are exerted have long white wool covering the base of the spines. In March, pale yellow flowers with a slight greenish or bronze cast are formed and by July and August, the orange to red rounded fruits up to 0.85 centimeters in length ripen. The fruits may be attractive to ants, small mammals and birds, which may aid in dissemination.
Geography
The Cochise pincushion cactus is known from among several Permian limestone hills in southeastern Cochise County, Arizona. Once thought to have occurred in northern Sonora, Mexico, the species has never been found in that country.