There is only one US species in the glandulicactus genus; a small group of stout, cylindrical cacti for which the main distinguishing feature is hooked radial spines in addition to the longer, hooked central spine. Plants were formerly included in the sclerocactus genus. As its common name suggests, glandulicactus uncinatus is primarily a plant of the Chihuahuan Desert, found in west Texas and south New Mexico.