Common Name: Golden barrel cactus
Scientific Name: echinocactus grusonii
Clade: vascular, seed producing, angiosperm, dicot
Date collected: April 23, 2011
Location Collected: Mildred E Mathias Botanical Gardens - UCLA; as you enter go right, next to building and greenhouse
Habitat: Semi-desert, among volcanic rocks on medium to steep slopes at an altitude of about 1,400 m; found next to opuntia microdasys; native to Mexico.
Nativity: Non-native
Special Notes: The seeds are edible. They can be ground into an oily paste which is edible, and can be put into piñole, atole, or tortillas, or eaten raw. Some species of Barrel lean over, pointing south, and can be used as a compass. The spines have been used as phonograph needles, fishhooks, awls, needles, and for tattooing. The cactus was used as a cooking pot by the Indians. The Barrel Cactus is precious and has difficulty surviving with humans.
Resources: http://www.extraplicity.com/galleries/barrel.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocactus_grusonii
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