It is native to Argentina Catamarca (Angostura de Guanchim and Tinogasta) and close to the Bolivian border, where it is exposed to extreme heat and an arid climate.

[1] T. geometricus receives its name from the Greek word γεωμετρία (geometria), meaning geometry.

Tephrocactus alexanderi grows in globular lobes, which sprout from one another and form clumps.

[1] The segments of the plant can be blue-green to purple with full sun exposure.

Flowers are light pink to white and have a darker midstrip.