The species of Ariocarpus

Ariocarpus is a small genus, just seven species, but it holds more variety than almost any group of cacti its size. They share the same trick, a body that hides flush with the desert floor, but the shape of the tubercles, the flower color and the range are different in every one.

Names in this genus have been argued over for two centuries. The cards below follow POWO for accepted species; the older variety and form names are folded in on each species page and in the full synonymy. POWO also lists one named natural hybrid, A. × drabi.

This atlas stays on identification and natural history. For cultivation across the genus, our companion site keeps an Ariocarpus care encyclopedia.