[2] Echinocereus ferreirianus can grow solitary or branched, forming small groups.

The four to seven round, often curved central spines start red and turn dark or gray, measuring 1.5 to 10 cm (0.59 to 3.94 in) long.

The funnel-shaped flowers, light to deep purple-pink with a dark orange to red throat, appear near the tips of the shoots.

[3] There are two recognized subspecies:[2] Echinocereus ferreirianus is found in Mexico on the Baja California peninsula growing on loam and pumice slopes.

[4] First described in 1953 by Howard Elliott Gates, the species epithet ferreirianus honors Enrique Ferreira, the Mexican consul from San Diego, California.