Origin and Habitat: Southwestern USA (Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California) and Mexico (Baja California, Sonora, Coahuila, Chihuahua). Echinocereus coccineusSN|7140]]SN|7140]] has a very large extent of occurrence, is abundant and common, and there are no major threats.
TL: New Mexico, Wolf Creek, Wislizenus,24 June 1846 (MO).
Altitude range: (150-)1500-2800(-3000) metres above sea level.
Habitat: Chihuahuan Desert, desert scrub (chaparral), desert grasslands, bajadas, Great Plains grasslands, pinyon-juniper and oak woodlands, mountain forest, forest clearings. It grows on rocky outcroppings and cliffs, on loamy, humus, mineral soil and and also in igneous, metamorphic, and limestone substrates, with humus, often in the partial-shade of oak and pine-oak woodlands and mixed conifer forest. It is pollinated by hummingbirds and halictid bees, and it has both hermaphroditic and dimorphic populations.

• Echinocereus coccineus Engelm. in Wisliz.
• Cereus coccineus (Engelm.) Engelm.
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. coccineus (Engelm.) W.T.Marshall & T.M.Bock

• Echinocereus coccineus Engelm. in Wisliz.
• Cereus coccineus (Engelm.) Engelm.
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. coccineus (Engelm.) W.T.Marshall & T.M.Bock
• Echinocereus arizonicus subs. matudae (Bravo) Rutow
• Echinocereus matudae Bravo
• Echinocereus arizonicus subs. nigrihorridispinus W.Blum & Rutow in W.Blum et al.
• Echinocereus canyonensis Clover & Jotter
• Echinocereus coccineus subs. aggregatus (Engelm. ex S.Watson) W.Blum, Mich.Lange & Rutow
• Cereus aggregatus (Engelm. ex Emory) J.M.Coult.
• Coryphantha aggregata (Engelm. ex Emory) Britton & Rose
• Coryphantha neovivipara var. aggregata (Engelm. ex Emory) Y.Itô
• Coryphantha vivipara var. aggregata (Engelm. ex Emory) W.T.Marshall
• Echinocereus aggregatus (Engelm. ex Emory) Rydb.
• Escobaria aggregata (Engelm. ex Emory) Buxb.
• Mammillaria aggregata Engelm. in Emory
• Mammillaria vivipara var. aggregata (Engelm. ex Emory) L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus coccineus var. arizonicus (Rose ex Orcutt) D.J.Ferguson
• Echinocereus arizonicus Rose in Orcutt ex Orcutt
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. arizonicus (Rose ex Orcutt) L.D.Benson in L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus coccineus var. gurneyi (L.D.Benson) S.Brack & K.D.Heil
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. gurneyi L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus coccineus var. kunzei (Gürke) Backeb.
• Echinocereus kunzei Gürke
• Echinocereus coccineus var. rosei (Wooton & Standl.) A.D.Zimmerman
• Echinocereus rosei Wooton & Standl.
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. rosei (Wooton & Standl.) W.T.Marshall
• Echinocereus decumbens Clover & Jotter
• Echinocereus engelmannii subs. decumbens (Clover & Jotter) W.Blum & Mich.Lange in W.Blum et al.
• Echinocereus engelmannii var. decumbens (Clover & Jotter) L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus hexaedrus (Engelm.) Rümpler
• Cereus hexaedrus Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow
• Echinocereus paucispinus var. hexaedrus (Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow) K.Schum.
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. hexaedrus (Engelm.) Boissev. in Boissev. & C.Davidson
• Echinocereus krausei De Smet. in Förster
• Echinocereus neomexicanus Standl.
• Cereus neomexicanus (Standl.) Tidestr. in Tidestr. & Kittell
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. neomexicanus (Standl.) W.T.Marshall
• Echinocereus phoeniceus (Engelm.) Rümpler
• Cereus phoeniceus Engelm.
• Echinocereus phoeniceus var. albispinus Rümpler in Förster
• Echinocereus phoeniceus var. longispinus Rümpler in Förster
• Echinocereus phoeniceus var. rufispinus Rümpler in Förster
• Echinocereus roemeri Engelm. ex F.Haage
• Cereus roemeri Engelm.
• Echinocereus toroweapensis (P.C.Fisch.) H.Fürsch
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. toroweapensis P.C.Fisch.

• Echinocereus coccineus subs. paucispinus (Engelm.) W.Blum, Mich.Lange & Rutow in W.Blum et al.
• Cereus paucispinus Engelm.
• Echinocereus coccineus var. paucispinus (Engelm.) D.J.Ferguson
• Echinocereus paucispinus (Engelm.) Rümpler
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. paucispinus (Engelm.) W.T.Marshall & T.M.Bock

Description: Usually clumping, Echinocereus coccineusSN|8493]]SN|7140]] forms large colonies of as many as 50-100 (500)-thick stems on each plant at maturity. Stems can vary from almost spineless to wildly and densely spined. Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate and Echinocereus coccineus subs. paucispinusSN|7140]]SN|8493]] (Engelm.) W.Blum. Mich.Lange & Rutow.
Stems: Semi-erect, dark green, from 8 cm to 40 cm tall, 5 cm in diameter.
Ribs: 8 to 11.
Spines: Mostly undifferentiated between radials and centrals. Spines are yellowish and turn grey after a number of years.
Central spines: 0 to 4 , up to 7.5 cm long.
Radial spines:* 5-20.
Flowers: Hummingbird-attracting, colour ranges from near orange, scarlet , and pink to deep crimson shades, with rounded petal tips length and width averaged 80 mm and 30 mm, respectively, stigma with 7 or 8 lobes.
Blooming season: Peak flowering comes from late April to June on mature clumps. Fruiting 2-3 months after flowering.

Notes: Female and male flowers: Echinocereus coccineusSN|7140]]SN|7140]] is a cactus with both hermaphroditic (bisexual) and dioecious (male and female) forms of flowers in different plants. Male flowesr show pollen-filled anthers surrounding the base of the stigma lobes. Functional female flowers from different plants show reduced filaments and empty anther sacs held below the stigma lobes.
The flowers appear specialized in hummingbirds, but are also pollinated by bees. They are huge and highly rewarding, and daily nectar production averages 30 mg sugar per flower. This set of traits represents a syndrome rare among hummingbird flowers, in which the flower fits the head rather than just the bill, and birds are well rewarded for a risky or inconvenient visit.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) David Hunt, Nigel Taylor “The New Cactus Lexicon” DH Books, 2006
2) Edward F. Anderson “The Cactus Family” Timber Press, 2001
3) Terry, M., Heil, K., Gómez-Hinostrosa, C. & Corral-Díaz, R. 2013. Echinocereus coccineus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 29 April 2015.
4) Stuart Max Walters “The European Garden Flora: Dicotyledons (Part I)” Cambridge University Press, 1989

Cultivation and Propagation: Echinocereus coccineusSN|10576]]SN|7140]] is fairly easy to grow. It makes great potted specimens.
Soil: Use a mineral well permeable soil with little organic matter (peat, humus). It grows in limestone areas of Texas (Big Bend area) and adjacent areas of Mexico, so will probably benefit from extra calcium in its soil.
Growth rate: It grows well, though slowly, but it possible to increase the speed of growth to some extent by providing adequate amount of water, warmth, and a liquid fertilizer diluted half strength during the active growing season, but it’s susceptible to rotting if too wet. Most plants will offset readily, and clumps can be produced in a few years.
Soil: It needs a very porous, slightly acidic potting medium (add pumice, vulcanite, and perlite). Outdoors it does well on poor, rocky soils.
Exposure: It likes a sunny position also blasting sun in summer. If grown indoor provide 4 to 6 hours, or more, direct morning or afternoon sun.
Watering: It is sensitive to overwatering (rot prone) needs a very good drainage to avoid rotting, but requires more moisture than true desert cacti to grow and produce flowers.
Hardiness: It its natural environment it is very cold resistant from -10° to -25° C (depending on clones) or less for short periods of time. It can be grown outdoors in Mediterranean warm-temperate climates, But for safe cultivations needs anyway to kept above 5 °C and dry in winter. But it can tolerate temperatures down to -5° C (or even less) for very short periods if very dry and ventilated. During winter month, put them in a cool luminous place and encourage them to enter winter dormancy by withholding water and fertiliser over the winter as they will etiolate, or become thin, due to lower levels of light.
Maintenance: Repot every two years. Needs lots and lots of space to grow, use large shallow container or bowl filled with very porous compost. It like pots with generous drain holes.
Pest & diseases: They are susceptible to fungal diseases if overwatered, but are not nearly as sensitive as many other cacti, especially in warm weather. If kept damp through cold periods, they will invariably suffer.
Garden uses: It is a fine plant for a rock garden or container, contrasts well with agaves, yuccas, and low-growing flowering plants.
Grafting stock: The taller fast-growing forms of Echinocereus coccineusSN|7140]]SN|7140]] and of Echinocereus triglochidiatusSN|7140]]SN|10576]] are highly recommended stocks for grafting cold hardy type cactus species. These can be used as cold hardy type stocks for almost all types of cactus, while still retaining the original natural grown look to the scion.
Edible uses: The fruit can be consumed fresh or preserved.
Propagation: Cutting as it branches freely from the base; Also can be grown from seeds. The seeds may be germinated and grown in containers. Their main requirements consist of high humidity levels, free-draining soil mix, and enough water, light, and nutrition.