Compass Barrel
Ferocactus cylindraceus
A slow, upright native barrel with red-and-yellow spines and warm-season flowers, built for rocky naturalistic compositions with strict contact clearance.
Stan Shebs / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 — license
Not sure if this plant belongs near your pool, wall, pavers, or foundation?
AE reviews microclimate, root intrusion risk, and soil compatibility.
Schedule: Very infrequent — often monthly or less once established. None when soil is cool and damp.
Emitters: Single low-flow emitter offset from base, or hand-watering only.
Overwatering is the #1 cause of cactus and agave loss. AE designs cactus zones on their own valve.
Arizona yards have very different microclimates. West-facing walls, glass, artificial turf, pavers, travertine, porcelain, and pool decking all increase reflected heat. AE considers these before confirming placement.
- Low root impact
AE verifies pool deck, paver, foundation, wall, and utility clearances before final planting.
Quick Facts
- Plant type
- Cactus
- Mature size
- 5 ft tall, 2 ft wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water use
- Very low
- Bloom season
- Late spring through summer
- Flower color
- Yellow to orange
- Foliage
- Medium green with red and yellow spines
- Evergreen / Deciduous
- Evergreen
- Thorns / spines
- Severe
- Litter level
- Low
- Pool area
- Avoid nearby
- Pet/kid placement
- Avoid near play areas
- Maintenance
- Very low
- Privacy value
- Low
- Shade value
- Low
- Native
- Sonoran native
About Compass Barrel
Compass Barrel brings authentic Mojave and Sonoran Desert structure to a Phoenix planting. AMWUA lists it at about 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide, hardy to roughly 10°F, with very low water needs and slow growth. The medium-green body develops long red and yellow spines; yellow-to-orange flowers appear from late spring through summer. Litter is low and the plant is rabbit resistant, but the spine hazard is severe. Mature plants may lean, yet that tendency is not consistent enough to serve as a navigation tool. Design around the actual form in front of you, maintain a clear buffer and leave wild plants where they grow unless lawful professional procedures apply.
Best uses: A severe-spined native barrel accent in a dry boulder composition where its mature five-foot height can be viewed without entering a contact route
AE Designer Opinion
Design Uses
- Naturalistic native boulder garden
- Dry Sonoran foreground viewed from a distance
- Rocky slope or raised mineral bed
- Desert habitat composition
- Architectural accent outside circulation routes
Care & Maintenance
- Plant in full or reflected sun
- Use sharply drained mineral soil and keep the crown above grade
- Water deeply but very infrequently after establishment
- Keep the winter root zone dry
- Do not force or correct a mature plant’s natural lean
- Use tools and professional handling practices around severe spines
Common Homeowner Mistakes
- Planting beside a path because the young barrel looks compact
- Using directional lean as a compass or planting instruction
- Giving regular winter irrigation
- Setting the crown below grade in compacted soil
- Placing it at pool edge because litter is low
- Collecting or moving a wild specimen without lawful authorization
Placement Warnings
⚠ Long red and yellow spines are severe. Keep the cactus outside every walk, play, pet and pool route; never use a plant’s lean as a navigation guide.
- Keep well outside walkways, gates and maintenance routes
- Avoid pool coping, steps, seating and equipment access
- Keep away from children’s play zones and regular pet paths
- Allow for a five-foot-tall mature barrel and possible lean
- Use sharp drainage and a dry winter root zone
- Do not collect or relocate wild plants
AE reviews final placement based on sun, irrigation, drainage, mature size, and overall design.
Pairs Well With
- Ocotillo
- Brittlebush
- Creosote Bush
- Golden Barrel Cactus
More Arizona Plants Like This
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