[3] Ferocactus pottsii is a solitary cactus with spherical to short cylindrical, glaucous green shoots.

The areoles are elongated and woolly, about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, with straight gray spines.

[4][5] This cactus is found in tropical deciduous and pine forests in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Sonora, and Sinaloa, at elevations of 240 to 1000 meters.

First described as Echinocactus pottsii in 1850 by Joseph zu Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck, it was later placed in the genus Ferocactus by Curt Backeberg in 1961.

The specific epithet "pottsii" honors John Potts, a director of the mint in Chihuahua.