A few Cacti of Utah

[A. Dean Stock]

Both PeterB and PeterTCG are right about the supposed O. basilaris from Zion. Good work PeterTCG !!
The first photo from Snow Canyon is right but I'd prefer to call it O.erinacea which is what I'll call it in my revision of the complex. Photo 2 is not O. basilaris of course but is an O. aurea hybrid with either O. erinacea or O. pinkavae (or both) depending on where it was located in the Zion area. Zion hybrids can be very complex. Photo 3 is also a hybrid but leaning more to the O. erinacea side of the equation. Photo 4 is another hybrid but likely between O. erinacea x O. macrorhiza. It could also have O. aurea in it depending on where it was in Zion. Photo 5. A hybrid between O. phaeacantha x O. engelmannii. 6. Same as #5. Photo 8, same as #5 O. phaeacantha x O. engelmannii.
The Echinocereus triglochidiatus is now regarded as E. mohavensis. The E. fendleri must be an "import" from a comercial source. The last Photo of "O. basilaris" Zion, is another O. aurea hybrid. O. basilaris doesn't occur in Zion area. However, O. aurea is an allohexaploid species derived from O. basilaris so you were close !!!.
Dean

[Peterthecactusguy]

thanks Dean, I am starting to learn some of these plants. (and thanks for the info about O. erinacea, because I was pretty sure that was one of those)
(edit) I also was confused about the O. aurea hybrid and O. basilaris too. They look similar, and I can understand (esp with the pink flowers) the confusion with them. I have some plain O. aurea that Dean sent me, and now I can tell what one of those looks like.

[MJPapay]

Dean - Thanks for sorting that all out.

Zion offers not only fantastic landscapes of topography and geology - but of Opuntia genetics too.

No wonder my mind is still swimming - and dreaming.

[Peterthecactusguy]

haha MJ glad you were able to visit my neighbor to the north and get to see some plants that I have seen. (I saw some O. erinacea up a the Grand Canyon) and a few others I have seen.