Melocactus curvispinus is a species of Melocactus found from southern Mexico to Venezuela.
Melocactus curvispinus grows solitary with depressed, spherical to short-cylindrical, green to glauco-colored shoots measuring 6âÂÂ30 cm high and 8âÂÂ27 cm in diameter. It has 10-16 pointed ribs that may become warty, with sunken areoles in the notches. Some off-white to nearly black spines are curved; 1-4 central spines that are 15âÂÂ52 mm, may be absent. There are 6âÂÂ11, sometimes more radial spines thatare 3âÂÂ42 mm long, with the lowest being the longest. From the small cephalium 3âÂÂ4 cm high and 7âÂÂ11 cm wide where reddish-brown bristles emerge. Flowers, which appear from the cephalium and extend over 10 mm above it, open in late afternoon. They are pink-violet, 18âÂÂ43 mm long, and 10âÂÂ25 mm wide. Fruits are club-shaped, pink to bright red or magenta, slightly lighter at the base.
Six subspecies are recognized:
Distribution ranges from Mexico to southern Peru, northeastern Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean.
The plants was first described in 1837 by Ludwig Pfeiffer.