[4] Sclerocactus polyancistrus is native to the Mojave Desert in eastern California and southern Nevada.

It grows in rocky alluvial (often alkaline) soils and in Mojave desert scrub at elevations of 500–2,500 m (1,600–8,200 ft) above sea level.

[4] As of December 2024[update], the conservation group NatureServe listed Sclerocactus polyancistrus as Vulnerable (G3) worldwide.

[1] The IUCN Red List, another conservation group, assessed this species as Least Concern (LC) worldwide.

In 1922, Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose moved the species to the genus Sclerocactus, while keeping the specific epithet the same.