Pediocactus Peeblesianus

Pediocactus peeblesianus is a rare but easily-identified species, found only in northern Arizona, in a broad band from the vicinity of Holbrook, northwestwards to the Shivwits Plateau. The unusual feature are the white or pale gray spines, which are corky in texture - soft, though more rigid at the tips, thick, twisted, and irregularly arranged. There are between three and seven radial spines per areole, up to a third of an inch in length, and sometimes one central spine. There may also be one upwards-pointing intermediate spine, up to 0.8 inches. Stems are spherical or slightly-egg shaped, at most 2 inches across.

Flowers, up to 1 inch in diameter, have purplish-brown midstripes on the outer tepals, and are otherwise pale yellow, or slightly greenish-yellow. Stamens and stigma lobes are also yellow.

There are two subspecies of pediocactus peeblesianus; most plants are ssp fickeiseniae, with six or seven radial spines, and usually one central spine. The other, ssp peeblesianus, has four (occasionally three or five) radial spines, and never a central spine; this is found towards the southeast section of the range.