Ladyfinger Cactus

Echinocereus pentalophus forms richly branched, low and splayed groups up to 1 meter in diameter. The yellowish green to gray-green, firm-fleshed, cylindrical shoots are 20 to 70 cm (7.9 to 27.6 in) long and have a diameter of 1 to 6 cm (0.39 to 2.36 in). There are three to eight mostly sharp-edged, straight ribs, which are later tuberous. The single protruding central spine, which can also be missing, is yellowish to dark brown and is up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long. The three to eight straight, whitish to yellowish marginal spines are up to 2 cm (0.79 in) long. The upper ones are very short. The broadly funnel-shaped flowers are bright pink to slightly pink-magenta or rarely white and have a white or yellow throat. They never appear near the tips of the shoots, are 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in) long and reach a diameter of 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in). The egg-shaped green fruits have brown thorns and loose wool. They tear irregularly.

The cactus species is found from San Luis Potosí state, through Northeastern Mexico, and into the southern Rio Grande Valley in southeastern Texas and in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo and Querétaro..