Fishhook cactus

Fishhook cactus is a common name for any hook-spined species of the genera Mammillaria, Echinomastus, Sclerocactus, or Cochemiea.

They are small cacti, usually growing up to 6-7 inches (20 cm) high, and are shaped similar to a barrel cactus.

They are not to be confused with the fishhook barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislizenii) of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts.

[1] Good places to see "fishhook" Mammillaria are the Sonoran Desert on the U.S. - Mexico border, and the Mesa Verde National Park.

Some Mammillaria species have been reclassified into the genus Cochemiea.