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Photo by Tony Frates; Tony Frates
Sources: ESRI, USGS, NOAA; Sources: ESRI, USGS, NOAA
Pariette Cactus
Sclerocactus brevispinus
Other common names: Pariette Bench hookless cactus
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G1
State (S-rank): S1
External links
Phenology
Flowers from April to May
Species range
Known only from a single area a few miles across in the Pariette Draw region of Duchesne County, Utah, U.S.A.
Threats or limiting factors
The biggest threat to this species is energy exploration and development which fragments the habitat, compacts soil and increases sedimentation that makes it difficult for plants to go dormant underground, encourages the invasion of non-native species, and increases airborne dust that decreases plant photosynthesis potential as it settles on plants. On BLM and Ute Tribal lands, all of the species habitat is leased for oil and gas development or is part of a current project (USFWS 2010). The species is also threatened by horticultural collection, off-road vehicle use, pesticide application, predation by cactus-borer beetle (Moneilema semipunctatum), rodents, and lagomorphs, grazing, and drought (FNA 2003, USFWS 2010).
