There is a cluster of spines on each areole, surrounded by a tuft of white woolly hairs and tightly packed warts are 5–8 millimeters long.

It is native to southern Arizona in the United States, where it is known only from Cochise County, and northern Sonora in Mexico.

The plant is probably a target for harvesting by cactus enthusiasts and dealers, but the populations in Arizona are relatively well-protected from this activity.

Invasive plant species, especially buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare), are becoming more abundant in this desert region and compete with native flora.

[4] Little is known about the life history of the cactus; research is still needed on its requirements for climate and substrate, its relationship with predators and pollinators, its abundance, population dynamics, and demographics.

[7] The specific epithet robbinsorum honors James A. Robbins and his sons Jimmi and John, who discovered the species.