Mohave Mound, Echinocactus polycephalus var. polycephalus

Photo of a reddish cluster of Cotton-top cactus with one tiny yellow flower
A single yellow flower emerges from a Mohave Mound cluster (closeup below)

Also known as Cotton-top, Mohave Mound blossoms in July and August when few people visit the desert, and so few people ever see it in flower. In other parts of the year, in the few places where it is seen it is recognized by its reddish color which often is a bright contrast to other plant and soil colors.

The plant grows in spreading clumps, sometimes of more than 100 stems although 20 to 40 stems are more common.

A good place to roam through and look for Mohave Mound is north of County Road S-22 between Mile Marker 32 and Mile Marker 33 and the Santa Rosa Mountains. Before you walk into the area to look for the plants, if you scour the area with field glasses, it is possible, under the right conditions, to see reddish clumps of these plants in the distant hills.

To find Mohave Mound Cactus in flower, you must return when it is quite hot. The best plan is to scout a few locations in a cooler time of year so you can quickly check them out in July or August to see if there are flowers.

The red spines and (if you see them) yellow flowers of Mohave Mound set this cactus apart from the calico-colored spines and red flowers of Hedgehog Cactus. Mohave Mound stems are much broader as well. Barrel Cactus can also be confused with Mohave Mound, especially when the Barrel Cactus is growing in low clumps. The first difference to look for is the cotton top of the Mohave Mound. It looks like a small piece of a cotton ball and it will probably be protected by a tangle of red spines.

As you search the area, don't fail to also check for flowers the plants of Diamond Cholla (Cylindropuntia ramosissima), another plant that thrives in dry rocky alluvial plains and washes, and whose flowers are not often seen.

Another plant to look for here in late spring and summer is Rush Milkweed, a haven for such insects as the Leaf-cutter Bee and the Assassin Bug.

Closeup photo of the yellow flower of the Cotton-Top Cactus