This petite cactus grows up to 6.5 centimeters tall by about 5.5 wide. It is grayish green in color and generally spherical or egg-shaped. Sometimes only the top is visible above the soil and the whole cactus body may shrink and disappear under the soil in dry times. Each circular, hairy
areole on the surface of the cactus has a few spines, the longest of which may exceed 2 centimeters in length, marginal spines are 2 to 10 mm long. The spines are mostly corky and flexible but have hard tips and are white or dull in color. The funnel-shaped yellowish flowers are up to 2.5 centimeters wide blooming from April to May. The fruit is green, ripening reddish-brown, reaches about a centimeter long, and contain about 5 to 10 dark brown to black seeds . One subspecies of the plant is federally listed as an
endangered species of the U.S. ==Habitat==