The name of this genus comes from the Greek “strombos”, as these small aqua green cacti are shell-shaped. They live on steep limestone slopes in Mexico (Querétaro, Hidalgo and Guanajuato), at altitudes ranging between 1,000 and 1,600 metres. Similar to small and flattened pine cones, they are slow-growing but easy to germinate plants, with a flowering diameter that can exceed 1 cm. Adult plants can produce thousands of tiny seeds. In 2010, a new species was described, Strombocactus corregidorae, which was added to the only one known up to that time (Strombocactus disciformis). The genus is included in CITES Appendix I.
