About Cochemiea setispina (J.M.Coult.) Walton
Cochemiea setispina produces gray-green stems that branch from the base to form larger clusters. Each individual stem is up to 30 cm (12 in) long, with a diameter of 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.4 in), and bears conical warts and woolly axillae. This species has 1 to 4 central spines that measure 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 1.97 in) in length, plus 10 to 12 flexible, whitish radial spines with dark-colored tips. Its zygomorphic flowers are 5 to 6 cm (2.0 to 2.4 in) across, colored scarlet red, and have prominently protruding stamens. The dark red fruits are roughly 2 cm (0.79 in) long, and the seeds are black. Cochemiea setispina is endemic to the mountainous central area of the Baja California Peninsula, with its range divided between the peninsula's two states. Populations grow in the Sierra de San Borja, the Sierra La Asamblea, and Isla Ángel de la Guarda in southern Baja California, and in the Sierra de San Francisco and Sierra de Guadalupe of northern Baja California Sur. It grows on granite mountain slopes alongside Echinocereus ferreirianus, Echinocereus brandegeei, Mammillaria dioica, and Ferocactus peninsulae.
