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Background

This is a short course on Basalt Cactus and the "State Cactus" campaign. There are plenty of other expert resources on the Internet for deep dive learning about this plant, and this is not an attempt to consolidate, replicate, or reframe that material. We use the convention of "cacti" over "cactuses" to refer both to plural cactus plants of one species or of multiple species as there seems to be some debate about that among grammarians.

PEDIOCACTUS NIGRISPINUS

Pediocactus is a genus of less than a dozen cactus species endemic to the American West. These tend to be small, hardy cacti usually growing at higher elevations and/or higher latitudes, such as is the case with Basalt Cactus. The genus name Pediocactus means "cactus of the plains" or flat lands, which is a little curious since most of them, including Basalt Cactus, find their homes in rocky and mountainous areas. The species name, nigrispinus, means "having black spines." This plant goes by several accepted common names including 'Basalt Cactus,' 'Columbia Basin Hedgehog,' 'Columbia Plateau Cactus,' 'Northern Snowball Cactus,' and various combinations of these and other names. Basalt Cactus is concise, easy to remember, not used for other cacti species, and descriptive of the habitat in Washington where this plant grows. It is also the leading name used in the legislation, and it is the name we use in this campaign. Taxonomy with cacti can be difficult and confusing as both scientific and common names are often interchangeable across genera and species and classifications frequently change.

Specifically, Basalt Cactus is a relatively small species, spherical at first, later maturing into a rounded columnar form rarely more than about a foot tall. Single plants are common as are clusters. The showcase comes in mid-spring during a 2–3-week florescence. Most of the photographs here and elsewhere feature Basalt Cactus in bloom with their crowns of bright magenta and yellow flowers.

Many cactus species and including Basalt Cactus will occasionally take a "crested" form, usually labelled as cristate or cristata. This causes the plant to take on fan-shaped growth, often appearing brain-like instead of the typical columnar, or globose forms. This is rare, and is and caused by a mutation in the growing tip that causes the plant to divide outwards along a line rather than from a single point. Causes of such mutations are not entirely understood, but are believed to be triggered as a response to environmental conditions such as heavy frost or a lightning strike. In regard to rarity, of the more than 2 million saguaro cacti in Saguaro National Park in Arizona, only about 75 cristata have been identified. We are aware of 1 cristata Basalt Cactus in Washington state. There are photos of cristata cacti in the Gallery.

Pediocactus simpsonii is worth mentioning. This plant also goes by several common names, of which we will use Mountain Ball Cactus. For a while, Basalt Cactus was considered a variant or subspecies of Mountain Ball before it was more recently distinguished as a separate species. If seen together in the wild, these two plants would seem almost indistinguishable, much like looking at crows and ravens; but also like crows and ravens, discernment can come more from location than appearance. Mountain Ball Cactus grows further east and south and at higher elevations in the Rocky Mountain states, while the range of Basalt Cactus is exclusive to Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The two species may have slightly overlapping ranges in southeastern Oregon.

CACTUS OF WASHINGTON STATE

Almost to a person, folks are surprised to learn that there are native cactus growing in Washington state. They are really surprised they find out that there are as many as four distinct species. The final jaw-dropper comes when they learn that one of these plants is native to Western Washington where it can be found on the Olympic Peninsula and the San Juan Islands.

The "four species" part depends on who you ask. There is a lot of regional variation and hybridization with cacti, especially among the Opuntia (prickly pears) and Cylindropuntia (chollas) species. These plants can be exceptionally difficult to differentiate in the field, especially within overlapping ranges. The four species often cited are:

Opuntia columbiana - Columbia River Prickly Pear *
Opuntia fragilis - Brittle Prickly Pear **
Opuntia polycantha - Plains or Starvation Prickly Pear
Pediocactus nigrispinus - Basalt Cactus

* Sometimes considered a hybrid of O. fragilis x O. polycantha or a variety of O. erinacea

** Grows in Western Washington, also has most northerly range of any cactus, up to the Peace River Valley in Canada

There is debate about whether is O. columbiana is a distinct species, and debate about whether O. polycantha actually does extend its range into Washington. So again, Washington has anywhere from two to four species of cactus, depending on who you ask.

We associate cacti with desert environments, but as evidenced by all of the aforementioned species and especially by the Brittle Prickly Pear, desert-level aridity is not requisite for survival or even thriving. Back to Basalt Cactus, this species exists in discrete, isolated clusters in the three Northwest states, these clusters being separated by hundreds of miles. In Washington we find Basalt Cactus in four counties in the central part of the state, mostly on public lands. It lives in harsh, mid-elevation shrub-steppe locales -- exposed, sundrenched and windswept ridgetops that experience the full range of sub-zero and plus-100 temperatures over the course of the seasons. The common name is fitting, as this plant is often found growing among broken surface basalt in thin, nutrient-deficient soils.

People should be able to go and see something that has been designated as the "state cactus" in its natural environment. You can do that. While many populations are remote and difficult to access, there are public lands where the cactus can be seen by way of modest hikes. Arguably the best place to see and learn more about Basalt Cactus is at the Renewable Energy Center, which is the visitor center of the Wild Horse Wind & Solar Facility located between Ellensburg and Vantage. There is parking and comfort facilities at this location atop Whiskey Dick Mountain, and Basalt Cactus can be observed along a short paved trail.

STATE CACTUS OF WASHINGTON

This campaign is further explained in throughout this website. Essentially, states adopt official symbols relating to their history, culture, and environment. In Washington we have a State Bird (American Goldfinch), a State Tree (Western Hemlock), and so on. Adding symbols to that list can be a fun way to call attention to something unique or honor something of significance to the state.

The idea for making the Basalt Cactus the official state cactus of Washington is credited to the students of Discovery Lab, a community school in Ellensburg. The kids convinced Senator Judy Warnick of Moses Lake to run a bill in the 2023-2024 Legislature to designate the state cactus, and then to run it again in 2025-2026 when the first attempt failed. Other enthusiasts from around the state such as your webmaster have picked up the ball along the way in an effort to prevail upon the Legislature to designate the STATE CACTUS OF WASHINGTON.

Three Reasons FOR the State Cactus...

Here are some reasons why we support the state cactus initiative:

The Basalt Cactus is an interesting, charismatic, and resilient novelty of Washington flora, and showcasing the plant might help us to further protect it.
The shrub-steppe biome of the Columbia Basin doesn't get the respect it deserves. A state cactus that hails from delicate corners of Eastern Washington can help to raise awareness and appreciation of that landscape.
This initiative began as a sort of a civics lesson for schoolchildren and has grown into a civics lesson for a wider public, incorporating many of the elements of a public policy campaign that would be fun to reward.

Three Reasons AGAINST the State Cactus...

Here are some arguments against naming a state cactus:

Basalt Cactus is a vulnerable species, isolated and with a small range. It is susceptible to disturbance from fires, development, reckless behavior, and collectors. Calling more attention to this plant only worsens an already precarious situation.
The Legislature has more pressing priorities.
Why this cactus? Why not the Brittle Prickly Pear that spans and is representative of both sides of the state?

Responses to the arguments against... The two top answers above counterbalance each other, and it's easy to see this working both ways. We lean more toward the former, that showcasing and learning about this plant and its niche environment will be a net positive and will help us to respect and protect it more. As for the Legislature, we can certainly all agree that there are bigger fish to fry in Olympia, but you have to mix-in a few fun bills from time to time to lighten-up the otherwise heavy load. The Senate's floor discussion and vote in 2025 took all of 6 minutes, and the committee hearings not much longer. There is enough time, space, and energy for this. Finally, we would just say that while a case could be made for O. fragilis, that prickly pear hasn't nearly the charisma, charm, or backstory as does the Basalt Cactus; not to mention that prickly pears can be a bit of a nuisance at times.

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