Its stems are characterized by their blue-green to brown to blackish-green color, and are flattened and spherical in shape.

Gymnocalycium striglianum produces small, funnel-shaped flowers with a creamy white base and a pink tint.

[2] Gymnocalycium striglianum is commonly found in Argentina's San Luis and Mendoza provinces, at altitudes ranging from 600 to 1200 meters.

[3] The original description of this species, written by Walter Jeggle in 1973, was later deemed invalid by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature due to the lack of information on the type specimen.

Hans Till corrected this error in 1987, renaming the species to honor Austrian cactus enthusiast Franz Strigl.