Origin and Habitat: Known populations of the black lace cactus are in Kleberg, Jim Wells, and Refugio counties of south Texas.
Currently less than 4000 plants are known in the wild, with several populations being destroyed. The black lace cactus is endangered because its rangeland habitat has been cleared or planted to crops.
Habitat: It is found in coastal areas or along creeks in open unshaded grasslands, dominated by halophytic grasses and forbs and or under heavy brush on south Texas range and invaded by mesquite and other shrubs. The local topography is fairly flat, with water standing after heavy rains. The elevation varies from 3 to 60 meter. The climate is semi-arid. Black lace cactus occurs on somewhat saline clay and silt sheets (composed of clay, fine silt sand and gravel). It is often found growing along with Thelocactus setispinusSN|3447]]SN|3447]], Echinocactus texensisSN|2231]]SN|2231]], Mammillaria heyderiSN|20805]]SN|20805]] var. hemisphaerica, Opuntia leptocaulisSN|19920]]SN|10936]] and Opuntia engelmanniiSN|10936]]SN|19920]].

• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albertii L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus fitchii subs. albertii (L.D.Benson) W.Blum & Mich.Lange in W.Blum et al.

• Echinocereus reichenbachii (Terscheck ex Walp.) Haage jr. ex Britton & Rose
• Cereus reichenbachianus Labour.
• Echinocactus reichenbachianus (Terscheck) Terscheck ex Fennel
• Echinocactus reichenbachii Terscheck ex Walp.
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. reichenbachii (Terscheck ex Walp.) Borg
• Echinocereus pectinatus var. reichenbachii (Terscheck ex Walp.) Werderm.
• Echinocereus reichenbachianus hort. ex Haage
• Echinopsis pectinata var. reichenbachiana (Terscheck) Salm-Dyck
• Echinopsis reichenbachiana Pfeiff. ex C.F.Först.
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. castaneus (Engelm.) Rümpler in Förster
• Cereus caespitosus var. castaneus Engelm. in A.Gray
• Cereus reichenbachianus var. castaneus Labour.
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. major (Engelm.) Rümpler in C.F.Först.
• Cereus caespitosus var. major Engelm.
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. minor (Engelm.)
• Cereus caespitosus var. minor Engelm.
• Echinocereus pailianus
• Echinocereus reichenbachii f. albispinus hort. non Lahman
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. anigosanthus Y.Itô
• Echinocereus reichenbachii f. brevispinum hort.
• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. burrensis G.Frank, Metorn & E.Scherer
• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. caespitosus (Engelm.) W.Blum & Mich.Lange in W.Blum et al.
• Cereus caespitosus Engelm. & A.Gray
• Echinocereus caespitosus (Engelm.) Engelm. in Wisliz.
• Echinocereus pectinatus var. caespitosus (Engelm.) K.Schum.
• Echinocereus pectinatus f. caespitosus (Engelm.) Schelle
• Mammillaria caespitosa (Engelm.) A.Gray
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. castaneus (Engelm.) nov. comb. ined.
• Echinocereus caespitosus f. castaneus (Engelm.) Borg
• Echinocereus castaneus (Engelm.) Orcutt
• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. comanchensis D.Felix, Oldach & J.Oldach
• Echinocereus reichenbachii f. cristatus hort.
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Parker
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. purpureus (Lahman) D.Weniger
• Echinocereus purpureus Lahman
• Echinocereus rotatus Linke
• Echinocereus pectinatus var. rotatus (Linke) Linke ex Haage
• Echinocereus texensis Jacobi

• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albertii L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus fitchii subs. albertii (L.D.Benson) W.Blum & Mich.Lange in W.Blum et al.

• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. armatus (Poselg. ex Engelm.) N.P.Taylor
• Cereus pectinatus var. armatus Poselg. ex Engelm.
• Echinocereus armatus (Poselg.) A.Berger
• Echinocereus caespitosus var. armatus (Poselg. ex Engelm.) Borg
• Echinocereus fitchii var. armatus
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. armatus (Poselg. ex Engelm.) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus spinosus (J.M.Coult.) Borg
• Cereus pectinatus var. spinosus J.M.Coult.

• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. baileyi (Rose) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus baileyi Rose
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. baileyi (Rose) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus baileyi var. brunispinus Backeb.
• Echinocereus baileyi var. caespiticus Backeb.
• Echinocereus longispinus Lahman
• Echinocereus mariae Backeb.
• Echinocereus oklahomensis Lahman
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albispinus (Lahman) L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus albispinus Lahman
• Echinocereus baileyi var. albispinus (Lahman) Backeb.
• Echinocereus longispinus var. albispinus Backeb.
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. baileyi f. albispinus

• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. fitchii (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus fitchii Britton & Rose
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. fitchii (Britton & Rose) L.D.Benson
• Echinocereus melanocentrus J. Lowry

• Echinocereus reichenbachii subs. perbellus (Britton & Rose) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocereus perbellus Britton & Rose
• Echinocereus reichenbachii var. perbellus (Britton & Rose) L.D.Benson

Description: The black lace cactus, Echinocereus fitchiiSN|7612]]SN|7597]] subsp. albertii (Echinocereus reichenbachiiSN|7575]]SN|7575]] var. albertii), is a small cactus single or branching when old with dense closely pectinate spines. The spines are white to dark dark purple.
Stem: Cylindrical, deep green in color, 3 to 15 cm long, 3 to 5 cm thick.
Ribs: 10 to 13, tuberculate.
Areoles: Elliptic, 1,5 mm long, almost touching.
Central spines: 0 or 1, dark, 2 to 3 mm long, purple-black in colour, perpendicular to the stem, or turning slightly upward.
Radial spines: 14 to 20, white with dark purple tip, straight, closely pectinate, 3 to 6 mm long.
Flowers: 5 to 8 cm long, 5 to 7,5 cm wide, and pink to purple in colour with a very dark purple-brown throat.
Blooming season: Budding and anthesis occur intermittently through the spring and summer.
Fruit: Green.
Remarks: The taxonomic and geographic boundaries among the segregate species or infraspecific taxa of Echinocereus reichenbachiiSN|7575]]SN|7575]] remain nebulous and controversial. In no place do pure populations exist sympatrically, and all taxa appear completely interfertile. E. reichenbachii var. albertii is intermediate between Echinocereus reichenbachiiSN|7575]]SN|7575]] var. reichenbachii, with a more northern distribution, and Echinocereus reichenbachiiSN|7575]]SN|7575]] var. fitchii, with a more southern distribution in the Rio Grande Valley. Echinocereus melanocentrusSN|7597]]SN|7612]] is an invalid name of uncertain application, perhaps referable to E. reichenbachii var. albertii.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward F. Anderson (2001) “ The Cactus Family”.
2) Curt Backeberg “Cactus Lexicon” Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated, 1978
3) David Hunt, Nigel Taylor “The New Cactus Lexicon” DH Books, 2006 ISBN 0953813444, 9780953813445
4) Del Weniger “Cacti of the Southwest: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana” University of Texas Press, 1969
5) James 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 GlassCambridge University Press, 11/ago/2011
6) Lyman David Benson “The Cacti of the United States and Canada” Stanford University Press, 1982

Cultivation and Propagation: It is sensitive to overwatering (rot prone) needs a 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. Need full sun. It is very cold resistant from -10° to -25° C (depending on clones) or less for short periods of time. It is a fine plant for a rock garden or container, contrasts well with agaves, yuccas, and low-growing flowering plants.
Propagation: Seeds, also can be grown from cutting as it slowly branches from the base;