Small Barrel Cactus to be Delisted as Threatened Following Data Analysis

Sclerocactus glaucus, a small barrel cactus, will have its status as a threatened species delisted after data analysis shows recovery.

A small barrel cactus in Colorado has been proposed to be taken off the endangered species list by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The removal of the Sclerocactus glaucus cactus, according to the Denver Botanic Gardens, was made possible by data gathered and examined by the Gardens' scientists, under the direction of Michelle DePrenger-Levin, MS, a research associate specializing in population biology.

The Small Barrel Cactus Sclerocactus Glaucus

Western Colorado's Colorado River as well as the Gunnison River basins are home to the diminutive barrel cactus.

According to Denver Botanic Gardens, the proposed rule has a 60-day public comment period. If no valid objections are raised, the delisting will take effect in June 2023.

According to DePrenger-Levin, gathering data on species with a long lifespan, like this cactus, requires a lot of work and takes years to produce results.

DePrenger-Levin is pleased with the progress made in the understanding of how this cactus copes with stressors brought on by the environment and human activity. Her work motivates people to continue researching this and other rare and endangered species.

The Gardens stated that it has a 10-year post-delisting plan, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to monitor as well as test the cactus' resilience, including its capacity to survive in current populations or shift as habitat conditions change, and to report findings on an annual basis, according to 9News.

According to the Denver Botanic Gardens, Sclerocactus glaucus was one of 16 plant species native to Colorado that were listed as threatened or endangered. By gathering information and examining the population dynamics of rare plant species found all over Colorado, The Gardens participates in the Endangered Species Act. Since 2008, The Gardens' researchers have followed the fates of hundreds of Sclerocactus glaucus plants in 10 wild populations to learn how those populations are coping with environmental and human-caused stressors. It was found that they were resilient to recent periods of drought and that population trends were stable.

Colorado Hookless Cactus

The US Wildlife Service lists the small barrel cactus, also known as the Colorado Hookless Cactus, as threatened wherever it is found. It is a barrel-shaped cactus with a height range of 1.2 to 4.8 inches and exceptional plants that can reach a height of 12 inches.

In the river alluvium habitat that it inhabits in western Colorado and eastern Utah, the Colorado hookless cactus (Sclerocactus glaucus) can be challenging to locate; the perennial stem can be In the river alluvium habitat that it inhabits in western Colorado and eastern Utah, the Colorado hookless cactus (Sclerocactus glaucus) can be challenging to locate; the perennial stem can be unnoticeable in the coarse gravel and even shrink below the ground for significant periods of the year - making these plants challenging to spot and identify when not in bloom.

Other persistent threats include harm caused by rip-rap and moss-rock gathering operations, illegal plant collection, harm from recreational use, and damage from livestock trampling. According to the Center for Plant Conservation, the Denver Botanic Gardens maintains a seed collection and has created macro plots of Colorado hookless cactus populations to track demographic changes as part of its conservation efforts to keep this species from going extinct.