Sclerocactus brevihamatus is a species of cactus

Cactus

A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...

 known by the common name shorthook fishhook cactus. It is native to Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

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One subspecies of this cactus is the Tobusch fishhook cactus (Sclerocactus brevihamatus ssp. tobuschii), a federally listed endangered species

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

. It is often treated as a species in its own right called Ancistrocactus tobuschii. This rare plant is known from about 200 to about 500 individual specimens on the eastern part of the Edwards Plateau

Edwards Plateau

The Edwards Plateau is a region of west-central Texas which is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihuahuan Desert to the west. San Angelo, Austin, San Antonio and Del Rio roughly outline the area...

. It occurs in the Juniperus ashei

Juniperus ashei

Juniperus ashei is a drought-tolerant evergreen shrub or small tree, native to northeastern Mexico and the south-central United States north to southern Missouri; the largest areas are in central Texas, where extensive stands occur...

-Quercus fusiformis plant association on calcareous soils

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

. Threats to the species include collecting and development in its habitat.

External links

• USFWS. Determination that Ancistrocactus tobuschii is an endangered species. Federal Register November 7, 1979.