One of its varieties is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

This cactus is gray-green to blue-gray in color and spherical, hemispherical, columnar, or flat-topped in shape.

It reaches a maximum size of about 45 centimeters tall by 20 wide.

The pink, gray, or brown spines may be over 4 centimeters long.

[4] The fruit is hairy or woolly and pink or red in color.