Echinocactus

Echinocactus is a genus of cacti in the subfamily Cactoideae. The generic name derives from the Ancient Greek ἐχῖνος (echînos), meaning "spiny," and cactus. It and Ferocactus are the two genera of barrel cactus. Members of the genus usually have heavy spination and relatively small flowers. The fruits are copiously woolly, and this is one major distinction between Echinocactus and Ferocactus. Propagation is by seed.

Species
As of 2023, the genus includes 6 accepted species out of hundreds of plants having the name.

Formerly placed here

 * Astrophytum asterias (Zucc.) Lem. (as E. asterias Zucc. )
 * Aztekium ritteri (Boed.) Boed. (as E. ritteri Boed. )
 * Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelm.) Britton & Rose (as E. wislizeni Engelm. )
 * Lophophora williamsii (Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) J.M.Coult. (as E. williamsii Lem. ex Salm-Dyck )
 * Turbinicarpus subterraneus (Backeb.) A.D.Zimm. (as E. subterraneus Backeb. )