Escobaria vivipara (Nutt.) Buxbaum

Escobaria vivipara (Nutt.) Buxbaum. Pelecyphora vivipara is a species of cactus known by several common names, including spinystar, viviparous foxtail cactus, pincushion cactus and ball cactus. It is native to North America, where certain varieties can be found from Mexico to Canada. Most of these varieties are limited to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. The species epithet "vivipara" was likely a reference to the plants tendency to produce offsets, or "pups", but there is no evidence that it is truly viviparous.