(e-keen-oo-KAY-ree-us tri-glow-chidi-A-tus) Echinocerens is from the Greek echinos, meaning "a hedgehog," and cereus meaning "a wax taper." These names refer to the plant's spiny resemblance to a hedgehog (or so the early Europeans thought) and the plant's shape, respectively. Triglochidialus means "three barbed bristles" and refers to the straight spines arranged in clusters of three. Also called claret cup cactus, after the reddish, cup-shaped flowers.
The name "quail," with roots in Middle Dutch through Old French, is related to "quack," an allusion to the vocalization of the European quail. The name "Gambel’s" is a recognition of William Gambel (1821-1849), an American naturalist who died on an ill-fated winter crossing of the Sierra Nevada. The scientific name "callipepla" comes from the Greek kalli (beautiful) and peplos (robe).
