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Echinocereus dasyacanthus is a member of the cactus family, Cactaceae. It is one of about 2000 total species belonging to this family. The cactus is commonly known as "Texas Rainbow Cactus" due to subtle rings or bands of contrasting colors along the stem of the plant. Not all Texas Rainbow Cactus have the "rainbow" coloration on their stems. E. dasyacanthus can be identified as a tertaploid with predominantly yellow flowers. Experiments suggest this is due to the hydridization of E. dasyacanthus and E. coccineus. The E. dasyacanthus recieved its specific epithet from the two Greek words dasys and akantha, which mean "shaggy" and "thorns" respectively.

Distribution
E. dasyacanthus can be found on rocky slopes of arid mountains, desert floor, in desert grasslands and more mesic habitats. They are distributed throughout Arizona, New Mexico and of course Texas. It occurs in every county of Texas's Trans-Pecos region except for Val Verde. TExas Rainbow Cactus can also be spottedas far south as Sonora, Chihuahua, and Coahuila, Mexico.

Vegetative Characteristics
E. dasyacanthus plants are usually found with a single stem or 2-3 basal branches. Though it is not uncommon to find plants with 3-10 stems. The stems of Texas Rainbow Cactus are between 11-24cm long and 5.5-7cm wide and usually have 15-18 ribs. The spines usually overlap making the stem not visible. There is a great amount of variation in the spines characteristics. There are typically 4-12 central spines that are .5-1.2cm long and 14-25 radial spines that are .7-2cm long. The basic coloration of the spines are tan to yellow to pink. Some spines may be ashy-white to reddish brown, but that is less common.

Flowers
The flowering season for E. dasyacanthus is between the months of March and May. The large flower of the plant grow at the sides of the stem above the areoles close to the stem apex. The flowers are typically 8-12cm long and 7-11cm wide. The flowers smell sweet and are pollinated by bees. In the Trans-Pecos region of Texas the flowers are usually bright yellow with a green throat. Other color the flowers may be include dark to pale yellow, canary yellow, golden yellow or deep red to rose pink. Since this this taxon of cacti are mostly yellow flowered, flowers that are beta cyanic and orange are less common. The tepals are relatively thick and durable compared to E. reinchenbachii, but thin and soft compared to E. coccineus. The stamens of the flowers have filaments resulting in the floral throat being filled with a funnel of yellow anthers.

Fruits
The fruits of E. dasyacanthus are usually green or greenish purple at first. As the mature the become a darker purple. The pulp is very juicy and can be white to purplish-pink. The fruit are globose to ellipsoid and relatively large measuring at 6cm long and 4.5cm wide. The spines on the fruit are deciduous.

Uses
The only use there seems to be for E. dasyacanthus is ornamental in the home or in a greenhouse. Being that the Texas Rainbow Cactus is a smaller cactus and it easier to care for making it a perfect cactus to grow at home.

Growing Conditions
Texas Rainbow Cactus requires little to no maintenance for growing. It requires little water ans a lot of sunlight to partial shade. It can grow in soil or rocky sandy substrate. To germinate seeds for growing at home there are certain steps that should be taken. Seeds of Texas Rainbow Cactus will germinate between 5-180 days eve under good conditions it may take a longer time to germinate. The seeds of E. dasyacanthus will only grow with light so you should sow the seeds on the surface of the soil. The soil should be a peaty seed sowing mix or a sand and loam mix with sphagnum moss or coir. the seed should be kept at about 25°C. The soil mix needs to be free-draining, and to be slightly water retentive in order for germination to occur. Germination should be started in shady (dark) and humid conditions. As the seeds start to germinate, light should be increased and humidity should be decreased.

Genus Information
Echinocereus is a genus that is well known and loved by cactus growers. Echinocereus are popular because they are all small plants that are suitable for growing in pots and greenhouses. The stems of this genus do not often grow larger than a foot in height and 2 or 3 inches in diameter. There is a wide variety of spination covering the plant stem so that it is not visible. Most Echinocereus have moderately sized spines that are evenly distributed along the stem on ribs. Some have very colorful while other have comb-like spines or nearly spineless.

Echinocereus also have some of the most brilliant flowers of the cactus family. The color s of the flowers range from electric-pink to deep scarlet to translucent browns and greens and even bright yellow. Many of the species feature two-toned flowers as well. The flowers of Echinocereus can be 3 inches or more in diameter and feature spiny floral tubes.

In the wild, Echinocereus range from South Dakota, USA through most of Mexico. They can inhabit a wide range of habitats including low elevation deserts to mountainsides of 8000 feet or more. Since there is a great amount of variation within species identification can be difficult in some instances.