The one to five central spines are hook-shaped, yellow with a reddish tip, and 8 to 13 cm (3.1 to 5.1 in) long, pointing upwards or obliquely outwards.

There are seven to ten radial spines, 2.5 to 5 cm (0.98 to 1.97 in) long, with the upper ones flat and brightly colored, and the lower ones hook-shaped and somewhat purple.

[3] Ferocactus uncinatus is found in southern Texas and in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas growing in scrub and limestone or calcareous soils at elevations of 900 to 1550 meters.

[5] The specific epithet "uncinatus" comes from Latin, meaning "hooked," referring to the hook-shaped central thorns of the species.

Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose moved the species to the genus Ferocactus in 1922.