CAT CLAW CACTUS (Ancistrocactus uncinatus)
The cat claw cactus is a small barrel-shaped plant, about 15 cm tall, with ribs composed of fused tubercles. It is found on limestone soils in the Chihuahuan Desert of southeastern New Mexico, sothwest Texas and Mexico. The body of the plant has a bluish colour but the most conspicuous feature is the combination of long red-coloured spines, often hooked at their tips, and long straw-coloured spines. All these main spines project far above the top of the plant. In this image the cactus is seen growing next to lechuguilla (a characteristic Chihuahuan Desert species of Agave with sharp, banana-shaped leaves) rooted into a crack in a limestone rock. Go to
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