Flower profile

Spinystar

Escobaria vivipara

Native in the lower 48

Spinystar is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 7 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

17states

7of our state lists

12,685U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah

Quick look

Pelecyphora vivipara is a species of cactus known by several common names, including spinystar, viviparous foxtail cactus, pincushion cactus and ball cactus. It is native to North America, where certain varieties can be found from Mexico to Canada. Most of these varieties are limited to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.
From Wikipedia's article Pelecyphora vivipara, 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 17 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. ^iNaturalist
In New Mexico, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,383 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #27 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,006 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #9 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,836 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #88 among the 110 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist

Spinystar gift ideas

Handmade spinystar gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

Placeholder

Spinystar art print
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Spinystar greeting card
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Spinystar mug
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Spinystar earrings
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Spinystar embroidery pattern
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Spinystar sticker
Gift pick coming soon

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (626 records)

Bloom time in each of our 7 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	April–July	3,383
New Mexico	Native	May–July	3,006
Colorado	Native	May–July	1,836
Utah	Native	May–June	882
Nevada	Native	May–June	669
Nebraska	Native	few records	259
North Dakota	Native	few records	217

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
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: S5, secure in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Colorado.
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Nebraska: Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. ^{163 NAC 4-004}
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MN (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 spinystar in 17 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Lea, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Otero, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Union, Valencia.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Custer, Dolores, Douglas, El Paso, Fremont, La Plata, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, San Miguel, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma.