Origin and Habitat: USA (Southern-Texas) and Northern Mexico (Taumaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila)
Habitat: It is often found growing under Mesquite scrubs on coastal lowlands.
Altitude: 0-550 meters above sea level.

• Thelocactus setispinus var. hamatus (Muehlenpf.) Pilbeam
• Echinocactus hamatus Muehlenpf.
• Hamatocactus setispinus var. hamatus (Muehlenpf.) Borg
• Hamatocactus setispinus f. hamatus (Muehlenpf.) Schelle

• Thelocactus setispinus (Engelm.) E.F.Anderson
• Echinocactus setispinus Engelm.
• Ferocactus setispinus (Engelm.) L.D.Benson
• Hamatocactus setispinus (Engelm.) Britton & Rose
• Thelocactus setispinus var. cachetianus (Labour.) Pilbeam
• Echinocactus setispinus var. cachetianus Labour.
• Echinocactus setispinus f. cachetianus (Labour.) Schelle
• Hamatocactus setispinus var. cachetianus Labour.
• Hamatocactus setispinus f. cachetianus (Labour.) Krainz in Krainz
• Thelocactus setispinus f. cristatus hort.
• Hamatocactus setispinus f. cristatum hort.
• Thelocactus setispinus f. flavibaccatus (G.Unger)
• Hamatocactus setispinus f. flavibaccatus G.Unger
• Thelocactus setispinus var. hamatus (Muehlenpf.) Pilbeam
• Echinocactus hamatus Muehlenpf.
• Hamatocactus setispinus var. hamatus (Muehlenpf.) Borg
• Hamatocactus setispinus f. hamatus (Muehlenpf.) Schelle
• Thelocactus setispinus var. mierensis (K.Schum.) Pilbeam
• Echinocactus setispinus var. mierensis K.Schum.
• Hamatocactus setispinus var. mierensis (K.Schum.) Borg
• Hamatocactus setispinus f. mierensis (K.Schum.) Schelle
• Thelocactus setispinus var. muehlenpfordtii (J.M.Coult.) Pilbeam
• Echinocactus muehlenpfordtii Fennel in Otto & A.Dietr.
• Echinocactus setispinus var. muehlenpfordtii (Fennel) J.M.Coult.
• Thelocactus setispinus var. orcuttii (K.Schum.) Pilbeam
• Echinocactus setispinus var. orcuttii K.Schum.
• Echinocactus setispinus f. orcuttii (K.Schum.) Schelle
• Hamatocactus setispinus var. orcuttii (K.Schum.) Borg
• Hamatocactus setispinus f. orcuttii (K.Schum.) Krainz in Krainz
• Thelocactus setispinus var. robustus (Poselg.)
• Thelocactus setispinus var. robustus Poselg.
• Thelocactus setispinus var. setaceus (Engelm.)
• Echinocactus setispinus var. setaceus Engelm.
• Hamatocactus setispinus var. setaceus (Engelm.) W.T.Marshall

• Thelocactus setispinus cv. brevispinus hort.
• Hamatocactus setispinus f. brevispinus hort.

Description: "Thelocactus setispinusSN|3447]]SN|3447]] var. hamatus", a.k.a. Hamatocactus setispinusSN|3446]]SN|3446]] var. hamatus, is one of the local or morphological form of "Thelocactus setispinusSN|3447]]SN|3447]]" distinguished from the type species for having always a longer hooked central spines. The differences with other "Thelocactus setispinusSN|3447]]SN|3447]]" are in reality very minimal and they grows at the same locality and under the same condition, so nowadays most botanist agree on the fact that both should all be included in the "Thelocactus setispinusSN|3447]]SN|3447]]", nevertheless non-botanists prefer to have a name for all their plants if they distinct enough to warrant one.
Habit: It is a typically solitary cactus that sometime will offsets from it’s base. This species produces a lot of fragrant yellow, orange-eyed flowers at the top of the stem. An attractive blooming machine.
Stem: Globular to cylindrical, yellow-green to dark bluish green of flabby texture like Echinocereus, up to 15 cm tall, 10 cm in diameter; distinctly ribbed.
Ribs: About 13 high and 1-2 mm wide, very evident, thin, wavy on the margin, straight or more or less spiralled.
Roots: Long fibrous.
Areoles: roundish, 5-8(-14) mm long, 2-7 mm wide, 15 mm apart, with short wool and finally naked: Areoles typically bear extrafloral nectaries.
Spines: Both radials and centrals, white or yellowish and brown radials 12 to 16 (10-30 mm long), central 1 to 3 one of them hooked, longer than the radials, usually more than 40 mm long. Tubercles absent.
Flower: Silky yellow with orange to darker red throat , 3 - 7 cm across, 3,8 - 5,2(7) cm long. Inner perianth segments oblong, acute, widely spreading. Flowers-bud pointed, covered with imbricated naked scales (whithout wool or bristles in the axil). Flower-tube narrow, funnelform.
Fruits: Red and fleshy, nearly naked, globular to ovate, 8-11 mm long, that dry and fracture basally at full maturity.
Seeds: 1,3-1,7 mm long and 0,5 -0,8 mm diameter, black tuberculate, hilum large basal, circular.
Phenology: Summer grower.
Blooming season: It flowers very well, even when quite young, producing lots flowers in succession all Summer.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
2) 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) Brian Loflin, Shirley Loflin “Texas Cacti: A Field Guide” Texas A&M University Press, 26/ott/2009
14) Albert Michael Powell, James F. Weedin “Cacti of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas” Texas Tech University Press, 2004
15) Del Weniger “Cacti of the Southwest: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana” University of Texas Press, 1969
16) “Rare Plants of Texas: A Field Guide” Texas A&M University Press, 2007
17) Nathaniel Lord Britton, Joseph Nelson Rose “Cactaceae: Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family” Volume 3, 1922
18) Christopher Brickell “RHS Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers” Dorling Kindersley Ltd, 01/set/2010
19) Campbell Loughmiller “Texas Wildflowers” University of Texas Press, 2006
20) Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names.” Birkhäuser 2004
21) Pierre C. Fischer “70 Common Cacti of the Southwest” Western National Parks Association, 1989
22) Alfred Richardson “Plants of Deep South Texas: A Field Guide to the Woody and Flowering Species” Texas A&M University Press, 2010
23) Hiroshi Hirao “Colour encyclopaedia of cacti” Japan 1979 (Japanese language and script)
24) Willy Cullmann, Erich Götz (Dozent Dr.), Gerhard Gröner “The encyclopedia of cacti” Portland, OR: Timber Press, 1986
25) Hans Hecht “BLV-Handbuch der Kakteen” BLV-Verlagsgesellschaft, 1982
26) E Haustein “Der Kosmos Kakteenfuehrer (the Kosmos Cactus Guide)” Balogh Scientific Books 01 December 1998
27) Alwin Berger: “Kakteen: Anleitung zur Kultur und Kenntnis der wichtigsten eingeführten Arten.” Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1929
28) Ulises Guzmán, Salvador Arias, Patricia Dávila: “Catálogo de cactáceas mexicanas.” Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexiko-Stadt 2003
29) Karl Schumann: “Gesamtbeschreibung der Kakteen (Monographia cactacearum).” J. Neumann, Neudamm 1899
30) George Engelmann, Asa Gray: “Plantae Lindheimerianae : an enumeration of F. Lindheimer's collection of Texan plants, with remarks and descriptions of new species, etc.“ 1845

Cultivation and Propagation: This species is easy and well worth growing, wonderful when grown in containers as a patio plant in colder climates. Require little care once they have reached a nice flowering size H. setispinus is suited for any rich, well drained soil in full sun throughout the year (But do better with some light shade in summer). Pot culture: grow best in a well-drained container filled with a porous cactus soil mixture that doesn't contain too much humus. To insure robust plants water and fertilize during the aestival growth cycle, this plant need plenty of water (indicatively to about once a week) But needs to be avoided wetting the bodies of these plants while they are in sunlight. A wet cactus in the sun light can cause sun burning which can lead to scars or even fungal infections and death. Care must be taken to prevent sooty mould forming on the sugary secretions from near the areoles.
Frost Tolerance: In winter keep completely dry at 5°C this usually aids in maintaining a healthier plant, but it is hardy as less as -12 to -7°C depending on the origin. (Temperature Zone: USDA 9-11)
Propagation: Seeds or cutting. Seeds are the typical way of reproducing. These cacti will easily grow from seeds and some from cuttings. Seeds can be sown in the spring or summer in well-drained pots of cactus soil; sow the seeds thinly on top. Cover them with a bit of fine quartz grit. Moisten and lay a piece of glass across the top. The pots should be set in a warm greenhouse until they start to sprout, after which the glass should be progressively removed so they can receive full light and air. It isn't good to keep the glass over the seedlings. Well-developed seedlings can be planted separately in small pots.
Cuttings made from pieces of the stem of any size can be detached and laid aside for a few days, to allow a protective "skin" to form over the cut. They can then be planted in pots. Place them in a spot where they'll receive sun, and do not water until the soil becomes fairly dry. After a while the soil should be moistened regularly, but never kept constantly saturated.