Echinocereus laui

Echinocereus laui is a species of cactus native to Mexico.

Description
Echinocereus laui forms clusters of up to 20 cylindrical shoots, each reaching up to 10 cm in height and 4 cm in diameter. These shoots have 14 to 16 low ribs with small cusps. The plant features four reddish-brown central spines, up to 3 cm long, and 18 to 21 bristle-like white radial spines, 5 to 10 mm long.

Its narrow, funnel-shaped pink flowers bloom near the tips of the shoots, measuring 3 to 6.2 cm in length and 4 to 7.2 cm in diameter. The spherical fruits are brownish-green, covered with wool and thin brown thorns.

Distribution
Echinocereus laui is found in oak forests, rock outcrops, and grasslands in eastern Sonora and western Chihuahua in Mexico, within the Sierra Madre Occidental at elevations of 1480 to 1800 m. It is found growing along with Cochemiea barbata.

Taxonomy
Gerhard R. W. Frank first described the species in 1978, naming it after Alfred Bernhard Lau, its discoverer.