Flower profile

Common fishhook cactus

Cochemiea tetrancistra

Common fishhook cactus (Cochemiea tetrancistra) is a flowering plant in the Cactaceae family, blooming mostly May–September across the U.S.

Common fishhook cactus is a flowering plant.

–states where USDA records it

642NV sightings*

3,771U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Nevada

Quick look

Cochemiea tetrancistra is a species of fishhook cactus known by the common name common fishhook cactus. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it grows in a variety of desert habitat types.
From Wikipedia's article Cochemiea tetrancistra, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Cactaceae family. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 642 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #54 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in Nevada (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (16 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe: Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). ^{NAC 527.010}

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)) 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 has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.

Names, range and relatives

Other Cochemiea on Bloomipedia (1): Graham's nipple cactus.

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

More Nevada flowers

California barrel cactus

Ferocactus cylindraceus

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: May–June

Beavertail pricklypear

Opuntia basilaris

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: March–May

Silver cholla

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa

🌼 Few flowering records in NV

Sources

USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
iNaturalist, Cochemiea tetrancistra: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Cochemiea tetrancistra (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
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.
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: sdash via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.