Escobaria

Morphological Summary

Genus of globose to cylindrical cacti in the family Cactaceae, native to arid and semi-arid zones of the southwestern United States, Mexico and Cuba. Very similar to Mammillaria in appearance, distinguished by producing flowers from the center of the apex (not from axillary grooves) and seeds with different surface texture. Includes species from the Great Plains, Chihuahuan Desert and arid mountain regions. Several species are rare or endemic to very restricted areas.