Thelocactus setispinus, commonly known as miniature barrel cactus or hedgehog cactus, is a species of cactus in the family Cactaceae.
Thelocactus setispinus is globe-shaped to short cylindrical cactus about 8inches to 12inches wide and up to 60cm (20inches) tall. The 12 to 15 radial spines are needle-shaped, bright, brown or white and up to 4inches long. The 1 to 3 central spines are longer and stronger, straight and curved like a hook at the tip. The flowers are orange, dark yellow, magenta, or violet[1] with a red center, about 7inches long. This cactus blooms in late summer. The fruits are red, round or elliptical, a little scaly, about 8mm to 10mm.[2]
This species is widespread in the southern United States in the State of Texas and the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. This species has spread throughout the world as an ornamental plant.[3] Its natural habitat is arid deserts, distributed widely but has a scattered population.[4] It usually grows in black or clay soils on coastal lowlands under mesquite scrubs, at an elevation of about 0- above sea level.[5] Plants are found growing along Astrophytum asterias, Mammillaria heyderi, Echinocereus stramineus, Echinocereus poselgeri and Echinocactus texensis[6]
In 1845 George Engelmann first described the plant as Echinocactus setispinus.The genus name "Theloocactus" derives from the Greek word "Thelo" (wart or nipple) referred to the ribs with closely spaced nipples, while the species name "setispinus" comes from the Latin “seta” meaning “bristle” and “spina” meaning “thorn, spine”.[7] [8] Edward Frederick Anderson placed the species in the genus Thelocactus in 1987.[9]