Sprawling to rounded clumps of 3–15-inch tall, cylindrical stems, 1 1/2–4-inches in diameter, are covered with springtime bouquets of flamboyant, pink to magenta flowers. Stems have 7–10 ribs or ridges with short spines that leave much of the stem exposed. Flowers grow from the upper stem, not the apex.

FLOWERS: April–July. Delicate, 2–3-inches long and wide (2.5–7.5 cm), insect-pollinated flowers are crowded with pink to red-purple, petal-like tepals that are darkest at the base; anthers yellow, stigma lobes green. The fruit matures to a 1-inch long (2.5 cm), greenish to dull red, egg-shaped fruit with rows of spines.

SPINES: Areoles circular (not elongated) and without short felt, widely spaced on ribs, 1/2–2-inches apart (12–50 mm), with 1–4 central spines and 5–10 radial spines; centrals 3/4–3 3/8-inches long (2-8.4 cm), slightly curved, frequently angular in cross section, and white, tan, or gray, often with brown tips or bands; the radials reach 3/8–1 1/2 inches (1-4 cm) long (about half a long as the central spines). Unlike many other Echinocereus cacti, the short spines leave most of the stem exposed.

HABITAT: Dry rocky, limestone soils of desert scrublands, pinyon-juniper woodlands.

ELEVATION: 2,500–5,000 feet.

RANGE: NM, TX.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The mound-forming Strawberry Cactus, E. stramineus, has 10–16 ribs (average 12), areoles with 2–4 central spines, and a dense covering of long, straw-colored spines. Pink-flowering Hedgehog Cactus, E. fendleri, has erect stems, single or small clumps, and 1 central spine 1–2-inches long and radial spines that do not obscure the stem. Lace Cactus, E. reichenbachii, in eastern NM, has a lacy, comb-like network of white spines that span space between the ribs.

NM COUNTIES: Extreme south-central NM in low-elevation, arid habitats: Dona Ana, Otero.