The classic barrel of the Arizona desert, ribbed and green beneath stout, hooked spines that start red and fade to gray. It grows slowly, can live for decades and blooms in late summer, then holds yellow fruit on its crown through winter.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the cactus guidance in our Landscape Care guide, which calls for hand-watering only when needed. In the ground it survives on rainfall, though an occasional deep soak in the warm season speeds growth. Wet, poorly drained soil causes root rot.
Pruning
None needed. Handle it only with thick leather gloves; the hooked spines grab.
Planting
Any soil works as long as it drains. Keep the side that faced south in the nursery facing south again, and ease it into full sun to avoid sunburn.
How our designers use it
Native desert gardens
It anchors naturalistic plantings beneath ironwood and palo verde, alongside brittlebush and desert marigold.
Late-summer color
It blooms when little else does, adding a ring of orange or yellow to a cactus garden in the hottest stretch of the year.
Groups and outcrops
Our designers like it in loose groups of different sizes around boulders, where it looks as if it has always been there.
Good to know
Around the pool
The hooked central spines snag clothing and skin. Keep it well back from pool decks, paths and play areas.
The lean
Larger plants often lean toward the southwest. Give it open space rather than setting it tight against a wall or walkway.
