Species · genus Ferocactus · Cactaceae

California Barrel Cactus

Ferocactus cylindraceus (Engelm.) Orcutt

Also known as: Compass Barrel Cactus · Desert Barrel Cactus · Cliff Barrel Cactus · Compass Cactus · Golden-spine Barrel Cactus

Growth habit

succulent subshrub or shrub

Reference · F. cylindraceus

Cultivars of F. cylindraceus

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under F. cylindraceus yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Ferocactus cylindraceus is a barrel-forming succulent cactus that stores water in its ribbed body and rots quickly if kept wet. Give it the brightest, sunniest spot you can and a gritty, fast-draining mineral mix. Water deeply only once the soil has dried out completely, when the mix is dry well below the surface; let it run drier in cooler months.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 30 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

7–32 °C

Soil mix

Very gritty, fast-draining cactus mix

Propagation

Seed; slow to germinate

Fertilizing

Dilute cactus feed once in early summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Yellow to orange blooms on mature plants; uncommon indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow California Barrel Cactus yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.