Origin and Habitat: Arizona (Pinal and Santa Catalina Mountains) and, probably, adjacent Sonora, Mexico.
Altitude: 700 - 2000 metres above sea level.
*Habitat and Ecology: Echinocereus bonkeraeSN|18744]]SN|18744]] occurs in sonoran stony desert grassland, desert upland and in chaparral shrublands on mineral, sandy-loamy soil. It also occurs in rocky slopes and pinyon-juniper woodlands. This species is common and often abundant where it occurs and there are no major threats affecting it.

• Echinocereus fasciculatus var. bonkerae Thornb. & Bonker
• Echinocereus bonkerae Thornb. & Bonker
• Echinocereus boyce-thompsonii var. bonkerae (Thornb. & Bonker) Peebles
• Echinocereus fendleri var. bonkerae (Thornb. & Bonker) L.D.Benson

• Echinocereus fasciculatus var. bonkerae Thornb. & Bonker
• Echinocereus bonkerae Thornb. & Bonker
• Echinocereus boyce-thompsonii var. bonkerae (Thornb. & Bonker) Peebles
• Echinocereus fendleri var. bonkerae (Thornb. & Bonker) L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus bonkerae var. apachensis (W.Blum & Rutow) A.D.Zimmerman
• Echinocereus apachensis W.Blum & Rutow

• Echinocereus fasciculatus (Engelm. ex B.D.Jacks.) L.D.Benson
• Cactus fasciculatus (Engelm. ex B.D.Jacks.) Kuntze
• Chilita fasciculata (Engelm. ex B.D.Jacks.) Buxb.
• Ebnerella fasciculata (Engelm. ex B.D.Jacks.) Buxb.
• Echinocereus engelmannii subs. fasciculatus (Engelm. ex S.Watson) W.Blum & Mich.Lange
• Echinocereus fendleri var. fasciculatus (Engelm. ex B.D.Jacks.) N.P.Taylor
• Mammillaria fasciculata Engelm. ex B.D.Jacks.
• Neomammillaria fasciculata (Engelm. ex B.D.Jacks.) Britton & Rose
• Echinocereus abbeae S.H.Parsons
• Echinocereus robustus (Peebles) Peebles
• Echinocereus fendleri var. robustus (Peebles) L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus rectispinus var. robustus Peebles

• Echinocereus fasciculatus var. boyce-thompsonii (Orcutt) L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus boyce-thompsonii Orcutt
• Echinocereus fasciculatus subs. boyce-thompsonii (Orcutt) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus fendleri var. boyce-thompsonii (Orcutt) L.D.Benson

Description: Echinocereus fasciculatusSN|18748]]SN|18730]] var. bonkerae (Syn: Echinocereus bonkeraeSN|18744]]SN|18744]]) is a distinguishing variety which differs in having spines not more than 10 mm long and the stems not obscured by the armament. It is a particularly beautiful plant in flower.
Remarks: Echinocereus bonkeraeSN|18730]]SN|18744]] is a very variable and poorly defined species, frequently lumped with Echinocereus fendleriSN|7149]]SN|7149]] or Echinocereus fasciculatusSN|18744]]SN|18730]], and it is not always identifiable in the field. All this three species vary from short-spined to long-spined. Populations of Echinocereus bonkeraeSN|18744]]SN|18744]] at the lowest altitude for the species have taller stems and unusually long, slender central spines (to 10 cm); they have recently been named Echinocereus apachensisSN|18730]]SN|18748]] W.Blum & Rutow.
Habit: It forms low, loose mounds of 5-15(-35) stems up to 20 cm tall , width 1 metre branching at or before sexual maturation.
Stems: Ovoid to Cylindrical, mostly erect, green, 12-20(-30) cm long, 4-7,5 cm in diameter, with spines not obscuring the stems.
Ribs: (11-)12-18(-20), not distinctly tuberculate, crests slightly undulate.
Areoles: 8-20 mm apart.
Central spine: 1 to 3 (often absent) per areole, very short, straight, erect, rigid, stout, mostly descending, white or pale grey, often brown to black especially at bases or tips, (2-)5-7(-10) mm long. (The long-spined var. apachensis has longer central spines sometimes curved or twisted)
Radial spines: (9-)11-14(-16), whitish, yellowish or brown, often becoming grey, spreading to almost pectinately arranged, all straight, (5-)12-18(-20) mm long.
Flowers: Borne on the upper half of the stems, broadly funnelform, magenta to reddish purple, 5-7 cm long and 4-9 cm in diameter. Flower tube 12-20 long 10-30 mm in cross section with hairs up to 1 mm long. Inner perianth segments deep magenta (to dark purple) with darker midstripes, basally green to very dark purple, 20-60 × 8.5-20 mm, tips relatively thin and delicate. Anthers yellow; nectar chamber 2-4 mm.
Blooming season: Spring (in habitat Mar-May); fruiting 2 months after flowering.
Fruits: Globose, 15-25 mm, green, becoming red or orange red, fleshy. pulp white or pale pink.
Chromosome number: 2n = 22.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Thomas Henry Kearney, Robert Hibbs Peebles “Flowering Plants and Ferns of Arizona” U.S. Government Printing Office, 1942
2) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
3) ames Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey "The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass" Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
4) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
5) Thomas Henry Kearney, Robert Hibbs Peebles “Arizona Flora” University of California Press, 1960
6) Brian Lamb “Letts guide to cacti of the world” Letts, 17/ott/1991
7) Baker, M. 2013. Echinocereus bonkerae. In: IUCN 2013. “IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” Version 2013.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 January 2014.
8) Echinocereus bomkerae in: "Flora of North America" <http://www.efloras.org> Downloaded on 02 January 2014
9) Albert Michael Powell, James F. Weedin “Cacti of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas” Texas Tech University Press, 2004

Cultivation and Propagation: It grows rather slowly and is sensitive to over-watering (rot prone).
Watering: It needs very good drainage to avoid rotting, but requires more moisture than true desert cacti, to grow and produce flowers. Keep drier and cool in winter.
Exposure: It needs full sun.
Hardiness: It's cold resistant to -10° (or less, depending on clones) for short periods of time.
Uses: It is a fine plant for a rock garden or container, and contrasts well with agaves, yuccas, and low-growing flowering plants. It will show its flowers only provided with an adequate winter rest period.
Propagation: Seeds, can also be grown from cuttings, as it branches from the base.