Strawberry hedgehog is an upright cactus consisting of few to many stems that stand alone or grow together in small to large clusters of 60. (1, 2, 3, 7). Each stem grows up to 25 inches in height is light green in color, cylindrical, though sometimes tapering laterally, with each stem free of the others at the base. (1,2, 3, 7). Attached to the stems are areoles, spaced about 0.2 to 0.6 inches apart. They are wooly only in their first year of development (4). Spines attached at the areoles contain about 8-20 spines, which are 2-3 inches long. The color of the spines varies greatly usually having some combination of tan, black and white patterning. Englemann's hedgehog is the earliest cactus to flower in spring, producing showy magenta flowers (1,4). The flower color may vary in a single population ranging from pale to dark pink. The flowers are 2-5 inches in size (4). The flowers are considered diurnal. Meaning they open during the day and close at night. The flowers only last a total of 5 days. The fruits follow in late spring to early summer when flowers are pollinated (4). They are spherical fleshy, red-orange berries, that are 2 inches in diameter.