It is a ball-shaped cactus eventually growing to a cylindrical shape, with spiny ribs and red or yellow flowers in summer.

One theory about why this happens is, the afternoon sun is so intense it slows the growth on the exposed side, causing the plant to grow unevenly.

Rarely a mature barrel cactus is found hollowed out by javelina but overall prickly pear experience much higher levels of damage from more species.

Barrel cactus spines pose an extreme hazard for handling, penetrating boots and gloves.

The fishhook barrel cactus is native to southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

[5] It grows in gravelly or sandy soil, more commonly on bajadas than steep slopes, at 1000 to 5300 feet (300–1600 m) elevation.

There are records of the southwestern Native Americans using it for that purpose,[7] but the water contains oxalic acid and is likely to cause diarrhea if ingested on an empty stomach.