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The fishhook barrel cactus typically grows to a diameter of roughly {{convert|2.25 |ft|m|abbr=on}} and a height of {{convert| 3-6|ft|m|abbr=on}}. However, specimens as wide as {{convert|3 |ft|m|abbr=on}} and tall as {{convert|10 |ft|m|abbr=on}} have been recorded.<ref>Barrelcactus Cactacae ''Ferocactus wislizeni''. [http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/Syllabus2/fwislizeni.htm USDA Fact Sheet].</ref> The common name comes from the [[Spine (botany)|spines]], which are thick and hooked. It has a leathery [[Asparagus (color)|asparagus green]] [[Cortex (botany)|cortex]] (skin) with approximately 15-28 ribs per cactus. Its [[flower]]s are yellow to red-orange and appear atop the cactus [[fruit]] during the summer months. The fruits are green when unripe, yellow after the flower dries up, and persist atop the cactus long after the flower is gone, sometimes for more than a year.
In adulthood, fishhook barrel cacti generally lean southward, toward the sun, earning them the nickname "compass barrel cactus." One theory about why this happens is, the afternoon sun is so intense it slows the growth on the exposed side, causing the plant to grow unevenly. Older barrels can lean so far they uproot themselves and fall over, especially after heavy rains when the soil is loose.<ref name="Dimmitt">Mark A. Dimmitt.
Like ''[[Sclerocactus]]'', ''Ferocactus'' typically grows in areas where water flows irregularly or depressions where water can accumulate for short periods of time. They are not associated with washes and [[Arroyo (creek)|arroyos]] but rather grow along rocky ridges and open [[bajada (geography)|bajada]]s.
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