Flower profile
Johnson's beehive cactus
Echinomastus johnsonii
Johnson's beehive cactus (Echinomastus johnsonii) is a shrub in the Cactaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–April across the U.S.
Johnson's beehive cactus is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Nevada
Quick look
Sclerocactus johnsonii is a species of cactus known by the common names Johnson's beehive cactus and Johnson's fishhook cactus. It is native to the southwestern United States from eastern California to Utah and northwestern Mexico, where it can be found in desert scrub habitat. It produces an egg-shaped or cylindrical stem up to 25 centimetres tall by 10 centimetres wide.
- 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 Nevada. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 1,666 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #14 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G3 Vulnerable worldwide. NatureServe
- Nevada
- Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S3, vulnerable in Nevada. NAC 527.010
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AZ (S2), CA (S2), 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.
Please don't pick or dig this flower: NatureServe ranks it S3 in Nevada. NatureServe
Can you eat it?
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.
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 johnson's beehive cactus in 4 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah.
Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark.
Names, range and relatives
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Echinocactus johnsonii, Neolloydia johnsonii, Sclerocactus johnsonii.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 8 counties across 4 states; the most are in Arizona (4), California (2), Nevada (1).
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
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ECJO3.
- iNaturalist, Echinomastus johnsonii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Sclerocactus johnsonii (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.
- NatureServe Explorer, Echinomastus johnsonii (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Dawn Nelson via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.