It is a solitary-stemmed
barrel cactus with a globose to short cylindrical shape, and grows to tall and 30 centimeters in diameter, with around 21 tuberous ribs. The spines can be white, yellow, red, or occasionally gray. It has approximately 10 central spines that are flattened, occasionally curved like a hook, and can grow up to 5 centimeters long. It also has 4 to 12 or more radiating marginal spines, usually white and needle-like, sometimes bristle-like. The yellow to orange flowers bloom from June to July, and mature into yellow fruits. The bell-shaped flowers are red, yellow, or orange, reaching lengths of up to 4.5 centimeters and diameters of 4 centimeters. Its yellow fruits, up to 3 centimeters long, are fleshy and open with a basal pore. Plants sometimes assigned to
Ferocactus chrysacanthus on
Isla Natividad, which is located midway between the nominate subspecies on Cedros Island and the subspecies
grandiflorus of the Vizcaíno Peninsula, are in fact
Ferocactus fordii because of their distinctly purple flowers. ==Distribution==