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

Ferocactus cylindraceus — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

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.

A Ribbed Desert Barrel

Ferocactus cylindraceus is a cactus in the Cactaceae family, belonging to a genus of spherical to columnar cacti marked by prominent ribs and spiny areoles. It bears funnel-shaped flowers in summer, in keeping with the character of its genus.

Source: RHS

A Contested Desert Name

This plant's story is tangled in botanical bookkeeping: the name Ferocactus cylindraceus was first published in 1926, but Kew now treats it as a synonym of Ferocactus acanthodes subsp. acanthodes. A closely related plant once called Ferocactus cylindraceus subsp. lecontei is today filed under Ferocactus acanthodes subsp. lecontei, native to southeastern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, and northwest Mexico, where it grows as a succulent shrub of desert and dry shrubland.

Source: Kew

Ribs, Spines, Flowers

As a member of Ferocactus, this plant carries the genus's hallmark ribbed body lined with spiny areoles, the spines sometimes curving into hooks. Come summer, it produces funnel-shaped flowers along the crown.

Source: RHS

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.

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 — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.