Ferocactus cylindraceus – “California Barrel Cactus”

Also Known As: Compass Cactus, Visnaga, Biznaga Barril Cilíndrica
Other Botanical Names: Ferocactus acanthodes
Family: Cactus (Cactaceae)
Bloom Period: Apr-May
Form: Single cylindrical stem; 2-9 feet (0.6-3 m) tall
Habitat: Rocky hillsides and sandy plains
Leaves: 10–32 spines, longest ones often hooked, red or yellow, gray in age
Translation: “Fero” is Latin for “fierce,” and refers to the spines; “cylindraceus” is Greek for “cylindrical.” The former species name, “acanthodes,” is Greek for “like an Acanthus,” which is the flower that appears in stylized form at the top of a Corinthian column.
Notes: Called “Compass Cactus” because it grows faster on its shadier, northern side and so tends to point south. Special roots emerge after a rain to collect more water and then wither when it dries up again. Prominent ribs on the body allow expansion or contraction in response to water availability. A mature plant can lose over 80% of its moisture and still survive, though younger ones are less hardy. Contrary to its presentation in cartoons and movies, it is not “filled with water” in a drinkable form. A bitter-tasting juice can be extracted from the pulpy interior but is too alkaline for consumption in large amounts and can cause headaches or worse effects. Nonetheless, people have cooked barrel cactus pulp in sugar to make candy. The fruits and flowers are more palatable and, according to Cornett, “the cooked fruit tastes like artichoke and the flowers taste like brussels sprouts.” California Barrel Cactus has been over-collected from the wild as an ornamental landscape plant and is now rare in many places where it was once common. Leave it be.
Native American Uses: The Cahuilla utilized the California Barrel Cactus as an emergency source of water by slicing the top off, scooping out a depression in the pulp, and then squeezing liquid out of the pulp into that depression. They also made the plant into a cooking vessel by hollowing it out and filling it with water which they heated with hot stones. They and the Seri ate the buds and flowers fresh, cooked or sun-dried. They also made a gruel out of the crushed seeds and treated soreness topically with roasted slices of the flesh.