Publication: Cactaceae Consensus Init. 5: 13. 1998
Description
Ferocactus hamatacanthus subsp. sinuatus is a smaller version of Ferocactus hamatacanthus. The two subspecies are geographically separated at east and south of the Pecos River.
Habit: Solitary, or sparsely clumping.
Roots: Diffuse.
Stems: Spheric to ovoid, dark green to grey-green 10-30 cm tall, 7,5-20 cm across.
Ribs: typically 13 ( to 17), narrowly compressed, and acute at the crest, somewhat undulate to deeply crenate and slightly tuberculate.
Areoles: Circular to elliptic 1-3 cm apart, young ones with white, yellow or grey felt with elongated glands, 2 to 4 mm long between the flower and the spines; these at first are soft, but in age become hard and spine like.
Spines: 12-16 per areole.
Central spines: up to 4 per areole, yellow or straw coloured, terete or somewhat flattenedn curved or slightly hooked, principal central spine thin more or less flattened, 5-10 cm long, 0,4-3 mm broad, more or less flexible.
Radial spines: 8-12 terete, grey to reddish, especially near the stem apex upper ascending, lower descending, laterals appressed, 3,5-7,0 cm long.
Flowers: Near apical in a ring, funnelform, pale yellow 6-7,5 long, 7-9 cm across. Filaments yellow to orange-yellow, anthers and pollen yellow. Stigma stigma yellow wit 8-10 lobes.
Blooming season: Late summer to autumn, flowers open midday, partially close at night, and reopen again for several days.
Fruits: Globose to elongate, 20-45 mm long, 10-35 mm in diameter, green, yellow-green, or olive becoming dark brownish red at maturity. The fruit of this species is unlike that of most other species of the genus; the skin is thin and the flesh juicy and edible.
Seeds: About 1 mm long, shiny black, pitted.
Blooming season: Early summer to autumn in succession.
Origin and Habitat
Ferocactus hatnatacanthus subsp. sinuatus replaces Ferocactus hatnatacanthusin more easterly habitats in Tamaulipan thorn scrub front the Pecos River east and south through Eagle Pass to the brush-lands near Brownsville, North-east to the edge of the Hill County near Camp Wood, and on West past the Devil River, and adjacent Mexico East of Sierra Madre Oriental.
Altitude: 0-500 metres above sea level.
Cultivation and Propagation
This species is easy and well worth growing. Require little care once they have reached a nice flowering size. It is suited for any rich, well drained soil in full sun throughout the year (But do better with some light shade in summer).
Pot culture: Grows best in a well-drained container filled with a porous cactus soil mixture that doesn’t contain too much humus. To insure robust plants water and fertilize during the aestival growth cycle, this plant need plenty of water (indicatively to about once a week) But needs to be avoided wetting the bodies of these plants while they are in sunlight. A wet cactus in the sun light can cause sun burning which can lead to scares or even fungal infections and death. Care must be taken to prevent sooty mould forming on the sugary secretions from near the areoles.
Frost Tolerance: In winter keep completely dry at 5°C this usually aids in maintaining a healthier plant, but it is hardy to -7°C.
Propagation:n: Seeds or cutting. Seeds are the typical way of reproducing. These cacti will easily grow from seeds and some from cuttings. Seeds can be sown in the spring or summer in well-drained pots of soil for cacti and sow the seeds thinly on top. Cover them with a bit of fine quartz grit. Moisten and lay a piece of glass across the top. The pots should be set in a warm greenhouse until they start to sprout after which the glass should be progressively removed so they can receive full light and air. It isn’t good to keep the glass over the seedlings. The seedlings well developed can be planted separately in small pots.
Cuttings made from pieces of the stem of any size can be detached and laid aside for a few days to allow a protective “skin” to form over the cut. They can then be planted in pots. Place them in a spot where they’ll receive sun and do not water until the soil becomes fairly dry. After a while the soil can be moistened regularly but never kept constantly saturated.
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures
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Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
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James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
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David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. “The New Cactus Lexicon” dh books, 2006
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Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names” Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010
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N. L. Britton, J. N. Rose: “The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family.” Volume III, The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1922
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Brian Loflin, Shirley Loflin “Texas Cacti: A Field Guide” Texas A&M University Press, 26/Oct/2009
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Albert Michael Powell, James F. Weedin “Cacti of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas” Texas Tech University Press, 2004
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Del Weniger “Cacti of Texas and Neighboring States: A Field Guide” University of Texas Press, 1984
From llifle page Hamatocactus sinuatus f. cristatus
Description
The typical Ferocactus hamatacanthus subsp. sinuatus is a small barrel cactus (commonly known as “Yellow Turk’s Head”) that is grown for its long flexible yellow spine. The beautiful crested form is very rare in collection and highly priced for its sculptural shape and yellow spination. Older crested plant, if well grown, can reach a size up to 40 cm in diameter, or more.
Roots: Diffuse.
Stems: At first fan shaped then brain shaped, dark green to grey-green with crested growth 7,5-20 cm in width.
Ribs: Narrowly compressed, acute, somewhat undulate to deeply crenate and slightly tuberculate.
Areoles: Circular to elliptic 1-3 cm apart, young ones with white, yellow or grey felt with elongated glands, 2 to 4 mm long between the flower and the spines; these at first are soft, but in age become hard and spine like.
Spines: 12-16 per areole.
Central spines: up to 4 per areole, yellow or straw coloured, terete or somewhat flattenedn curved or slightly hooked, principal central spine thin more or less flattened, 5-10 cm long, 0,4-3 mm broad, more or less flexible.
Radial spines: 8-12 terete, grey to reddish, especially near the stem apex upper ascending, lower descending, laterals appressed, 3,5-7,0 cm long.
Flowers: Near apical in a ring, funnelform, pale yellow 6-7,5 long, 7-9 cm across. Filaments yellow to orange-yellow, anthers and pollen yellow. Stigma stigma yellow wit 8-10 lobes.
Blooming season: Late summer to autumn, flowers open midday, partially close at night, and reopen again for several days.
Fruits: Globose to elongate, 20-45 mm long, 10-35 mm in diameter, green, yellow-green, or olive becoming dark brownish red at maturity. The fruit of this species is unlike that of most other species of the genus; the skin is thin and the flesh juicy and edible.
Seeds: About 1 mm long, shiny black, pitted.
Blooming season: Early summer to autumn in succession.
Origin and Habitat
Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)
Cultivation and Propagation
It is not too difficult in a greenhouse, although grows quite slowly. It is usually seen as a grafted plant but can grow on its own roots too.
Soil: Use a mineral well permeable soil with little organic matter (peat, humus).
Exposure: They need a good amount of light shade to full sun this help to keep the plants healthy, although slow growth.
Watering: Water sparingly from March till October (weekly during summertime, if the weather is sunny enough), with a little fertilizer added. Less or no water during cold winter months, or when night temperatures remain below 10° to prevent root loss. It is sensitive to overwatering (rot prone).
Fertilization: Feeding may not be necessary at all if the compost is fresh then, feed in summer only if the plant hasn’t been repotted recently. Do not feed the plants from September onwards as this can cause lush growth which can be fatal during the darker cold months.
Hardiness: Keep perfectly dry in winter at temperatures from 5 to 15 degrees centigrade. (but it is relatively cold resistant and hardy to -5° C, or possibly colder for short periods) In the rest period no high atmospheric humidity!! (Temperature Zone: USDA 9-11)
Crested growth: Unlike ‘monstrose’ varieties of plants, where the variation from normal growth is due to genetic mutation, crested growth can occur on normal plants. Sometimes it’s due to variances in light intensity, or damage, but generally the causes are unknown. A crested plant may have some areas growing normally, and a cresting plant that looks like a brain, may revert to normal growth for no apparent reason. If you have any of the crested part left you need to remove the normal growth and leave the crested part behind this will need to be done regularly.
Propagation: Grafting or cuttings. Plants are usually grafted onto column-shaped cacti but proved to be able to produce their own roots if degrafted. Cuttings will take root in a minimum temperature of 20° C (but better in hot weather). Cuttings of healthy shoots can be taken in the spring and summer. Cut the stem with a sharp, sterile knife, leave the cutting in a warm, dry place for a week or weeks (depending on how thick the cutting is) until a callus forms over the wound. Once the callus forms, the cutting may be inserted in a container filled with firmed cactus potting mix topped with a surface layer of coarse grit. They should be placed in the coarse grit only; this prevents the cut end from becoming too wet and allows the roots to penetrate the rich compost underneath. The cuttings should root in 2 to 6 weeks. Large crested piece must be placed on the soil surface without burying the plant base down in the soil.
Source: Hamatocactus sinuatus f. cristatus, LLIFLE - Encyclopedia of living forms, CC-BY-SA, retrieved 2026-10-25.
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