[2] Ferocactus alamosanus is a solitary plant that grows in a spherical to short columnar shape, reaching up to 30 cm (12 in) in diameter and 1 meter in height.

Its egg-shaped fruits are yellow, up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long, and open with a basal pore.

[3][4] Accepted subspecies: This species is found in the Mexican states of Sonora, Michoacán, Oaxaca, and Colima in deciduous and oak forest at elevations of 450–1300 meters.

First described as Echinocactus alamosanus in 1913 by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose.

The specific epithet, alamosanus, refers to the plant's occurrence at Álamos in the Mexican state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico.