Flower profile

California barrel cactus

Ferocactus cylindraceus

California barrel cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus) is a shrub in the Cactaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–April across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

California barrel cactus is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–April.

4states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

34,393U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, California, Nevada

Quick look

Ferocactus cylindraceus is a species of barrel cactus which is known by several common names, including California barrel cactus, Desert barrel cactus, compass barrel cactus, and miner's compass. It was first described by George Engelmann in 1853.
From Wikipedia's article Ferocactus cylindraceus, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Cactaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to California, Arizona and Nevada. ^NatureServe
In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. ^iNaturalist
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 19,858 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #22 among the 178 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 8,518 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #9 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 5,659 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #4 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,868 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
California	Native	February–April	19,858
Arizona	Native	April–August	8,518
Nevada	Native	May–June	5,659

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in California. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: UT (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records California barrel cactus in 4 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah.

California counties with USDA records: Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, Yuma.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Lincoln, Nye.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 18 counties across 4 states; the most are in Arizona (11), California (3), Nevada (3).

Other Ferocactus on Bloomipedia (1): Fishhook barrel cactus.

More from the Cactaceae family (37 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Saguaro, Beavertail pricklypear, Plains pricklypear, Christmas cholla, Silver cholla, Tree cholla, Buckhorn cholla, Teddybear cholla.

More California flowers

Silver cholla

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa

🌼 Blooms in CA: March–May

Branched pencil cholla

Cylindropuntia ramosissima

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: April–October

California poppy

Eschscholzia californica

★ CA state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in CA: March–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile FECY.
iNaturalist, Ferocactus cylindraceus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Ferocactus cylindraceus (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Ferocactus cylindraceus (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Joseph Rojas via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.