[2] This cactus is found only in Brewster County, Texas, in the United States, where there are three populations remaining near Marathon.

[5] The cactus' stem is mostly beneath the soil surface with the above ground portion a spiny spherical or columnar body no more than 3 centimeters long.

The flower is roughly 1.5 centimeters long and bright pink to magenta or rose-purple in color.

The cactus' natural habitat is the Chihuahuan desert scrub, where it grows in mats of Selaginella in rock crevices.

The specific epithet minima comes from Latin, means 'very small' and refers to the size of the species.

[6] David Aquino & Daniel Sánchez moved the species to Pelecyphora based on phylogenetic studies in 2022.