[4] The cactus is found in the western Colorado Desert scrub including in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and in Coastal sage scrub habitats of Southern California; and in coastal chaparral and Sonoran Desert habitats of Baja California and Baja California Sur states on the Baja California peninsula of México.

Cochemiea dioica possesses short, firm tubercles ending in the spines.

[7] A single plant can bear both male and female flowers, from mid-spring to mid-summer.

[7] The fruits produced are bright red and ovoid, often with one end thicker than the other and are edible and tastes like a cross between a strawberry and a kiwi.

It requires very well-drained soil, and so is often grown in pots and in raised beds in drought tolerant gardens.