Bergerocactus

Bergerocactus emoryi is a species of cactus, known commonly as the golden-spined cereus, golden snake cactus, velvet cactus or golden club cactus. It is a relatively small cactus, but it can form dense thickets or colonies, with the dense yellow spines giving off a velvety appearance when backlit by the sun. From April to May, yellow, green-tinged flowers emerge, which transform into reddish, globular fruit. This species is native to the California Floristic Province, and is found in northwestern Baja California and a small part of California, in San Diego County and on the southern Channel Islands. Where the Mediterranean climate of the California Floristic Province collides with the subtropical Sonoran Desert near El Rosario, hybrids with two other species of cacti are found. It is the sole member of the monotypic genus Bergerocactus.

== Description == This species is a shrub-like cactus, forming thickets of columnar to prostrate stems. The colonies have a velvety appearance when backlit by the sun. The stems are usually less than long, covered in numerous, interlaced, yellow and needle-like spines. The stems are in diameter, cylindrical, and with 12 to 18 ribs. There are 30 to 45 spines per areole, and most are less than in diameter. There are 1 to 3 central spines, which are curved downward, the longest less than . The radial spines are straight.