Escobaria missouriensis is one of those bone-hardy cactus from the Northern Great Plains.
The form found in that part of the country grows very low to the ground (almost flat) tucked in amongst the short bunch grasses, on the dry sloping flanks of clay buttes and gravely knolls. It is confined to the southwestern portion of the state in what, for a better term, is know as the "bad lands."
The spines are thin and wiry with few to no central spines (a user-friendly cacti). It can take considerable moisture. Fertile seed are encased in small bright red, berry-shaped fruits, that can persist attached to the plant for up to two years. There is some variation in spine coloration from white though amber. Once in a while a black-spined plant may be discovered. These northern forms bloom with the blossoms in clusters. The petals are always a pale straw color with an embossed button of yellow stamens.
