Origin and Habitat: Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Type locality: Pipe Springs, Mohave County, Arizona, USA
Altitude range: Sclerocactus parviflorusSN|19477]]SN|19477]] subs. intermedius is found mostly at mid elevations, 1350-2000 metres above sea level (occasionally up to 2200 metres).
Habitat and ecology: It occurs in the upper Navajoan Desert in pinyon-juniper woodland and blackbrush communities. It is adapted to extremely arid conditions and is extra-sensitive to moisture.

• Sclerocactus parviflorus subs. intermedius (Peebles) K.D.Heil & J.M.Porter
• Pediocactus parviflorus subs. intermedius (Peebles) Halda
• Sclerocactus intermedius Peebles
• Sclerocactus parviflorus var. intermedius (Peebles) D.Woodruff & L.D.Benson
• Sclerocactus whipplei var. intermedius (Peebles) L.D.Benson

• Sclerocactus parviflorus Clover & Jotter
• Echinocactus parviflorus (Clover & Jotter) L.D.Benson
• Ferocactus parviflorus (Clover & Jotter) N.P.Taylor
• Pediocactus parviflorus (Clover & Jotter) Halda
• Sclerocactus contortus K.D.Heil
• Sclerocactus parviflorus var. blessingiae W.H.Earle

• Sclerocactus parviflorus subs. havasupaiensis (Clover) Hochstätter
• Echinocactus parviflorus var. havasupaiensis (Clover) L.D.Benson
• Pediocactus parviflorus subs. havasupaiensis (Clover) Halda
• Sclerocactus havasupaiensis Clover
• Sclerocactus havasupaiensis var. roseus Clover
• Echinocactus parviflorus var. roseus (Clover) L.D.Benson
• Sclerocactus whipplei var. roseus (Clover) L.D.Benson

• Sclerocactus parviflorus subs. intermedius (Peebles) K.D.Heil & J.M.Porter
• Pediocactus parviflorus subs. intermedius (Peebles) Halda
• Sclerocactus intermedius Peebles
• Sclerocactus parviflorus var. intermedius (Peebles) D.Woodruff & L.D.Benson
• Sclerocactus whipplei var. intermedius (Peebles) L.D.Benson
• Sclerocactus whipplei var. reevesii Castetter, P.Pierce & K.H.Schwer.

• Sclerocactus parviflorus subs. macrospermus (Hochstätter) Hochstätter
• Sclerocactus parviflorus f. macrospermus Hochstätter

• Sclerocactus parviflorus subs. terrae-canyonae (K.D.Heil) K.D.Heil & J.M.Porter
• Sclerocactus parviflorus f. terrae-canyonae (K.D.Heil) Hochstätter
• Sclerocactus terrae-canyonae K.D.Heil

• Sclerocactus parviflorus subs. variiflorus (Hochstätter) Hochstätter
• Sclerocactus parviflorus f. variiflorus Hochstätter

Description: Sclerocactus parviflorusSN|19525]]SN|19477]] subs. intermedius is a nice though diminutive barrel cactus with purple, rose, pink, or (rarely) white flowers. It is distinguished from Sclerocactus parviflorusSN|19525]]SN|19477]] by its long not hooked upper central spine flattened and to 1-1.5(-2) mm broad and by seeds at most 2.5 mm broad. It is somewhat intermediate in habit between Sclerocactus parviflorusSN|19477]]SN|19477]] and Sclerocactus whippleiSN|19477]]SN|19525]] and is quite variable over its wide range.
Stems: Spherical to cylindrical, to about 30 cm tall. It usually grows single but occasionally forms small clusters of 2-3 heads.
Ribs: 13-15 conspicuously tubercle. Tubercles 8-9 mm high.
Areoles: Circular at first, but growth of flower produces narrow extension upward, leaving areole elliptical or practically so, about 4-6 mm long, with much white wool.
Radial spines: 7-11 straight 12-24 mm long, all but 1 lower lateral on each side white, these 2 lower laterals grey or brownish.
Central spines: 4 on mature specimens, lowermost 1 porrect to slightly deflexed, strong, round to somewhat flattened, hooked, (17-)25-50(59) mm long, 0.5-1 mm diameter, white, grey or tan, dark brown, purplish-pink or black, usually streaked with white; 2 lateral centrals similar but straight; uppermost central 19-57 nm long, mostly 1.5-2 mm or less widee, rarely purple to pink, whitish, mostly angled, rarely flat or rhombic in cross-section, straight or nearly so.
Flowers: Beautiful, more or less funnel-shaped, mostly fuchsia but some-times purplish, pink, or (rarely) whitish and never yellow, about 2.5-5 mm diameter and length; ovary has a few short, greenish, triangular scales with membranous, crinkled edges and short hairs in axils; outer perianth segments greenish in midline, edges whitish, membranous, crinkled, to about 12 mm wide; inner perianth segments (tepals) fuchsia, purple, rose, pink, or whitish, lanceolate, edges entire or nearly so; green or yellowish filaments; orange anthers; pinkish or rose style and stigma with 5-6 lobes.
Blooming season (in habitat): May-June (late spring).
Fruits: Oblong, to about 12-25 mm long, green to pinkish and fleshy at first, surface with several scales; when ripe becoming dry and opening by splitting.
Chromosome number. 2n = 22.
Remarks: Sclerocactus whippleiSN|19477]]SN|19525]] var. reevesii is very similar to this taxon and often left as a synonym (Del Weniger 1984).

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Fritz Hochstätter “Tribe Cacteae, Family Cactaceae: The genus Sclerocactus” Fritz Hochstätter, Selbstverlag, 2005
2) Fritz Hochstätter “An den Standorten von Pediocactus und Sclerocactus.” Selbstverlag 1989.
3) Del Weniger “Cacti of Texas and Neighboring States: A Field Guide” University of Texas Press, 1984
4) Heil, Kenneth D., and Mark J. Porter. 2001. “Cactaceae.” J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 33(1)
5) Del Weniger “Cacti of the Southwest: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana” University of Texas Press, 1969
6) Leo J. Chance “Cacti and Succulents for Cold Climates: 274 Outstanding Species for Challenging Conditions” Timber Press, 19 June 2012
7) Sclerocactus parviflorus subsp. intermedius (Peebles) Heil & Porter <http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=Sclerocactus+parviflorus+var.+intermedius>
8) Checklist of CITES Species Part 1 CITES species index, 2011
9) Sclerocactus parviflorus Clover & Jotter [family CACTACEAE] in Kenneth D. Heil, J. Mark Porter, Flora of North America, Vol 4
10) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
11) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey "The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass" Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
12) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
13) Porter, J.M. 2013. “Sclerocactus parviflorus.” The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 December 2014.

Cultivation and Propagation: Rarely seen in cultivation, it needs perfect drainage to flourish. It is quite difficult to grow on its own roots and to propagate (only 2-3 percent of seeds germinate ). Mature individuals easily rot and die.
It is indispensable to provide a greenhouse with good ventilation and full sun exposure. Keep totally dry during winter. It can tolerate temperature below zero (-20° C). Plants grafted on hardy Opuntia humifusaSN|11629]]SN|11629]] stock are quite easy to grow, and no special skill is required.
Propagation: Seeds are extremely difficult to germinate (only 2-3 percent of seeds germinate). Grafting is often used to speed growth rate and to create a back-up for plants in collection.