They were first classified in the genus "Echinocactus". In 1827 he named with him the cacti genera "Echinocactus" and "Melocactus". They do not obviously resemble a typical leafless cactus such as an "Echinocactus". The fruits are copiously woolly, and this is one major distinction between "Echinocactus" and "Ferocactus". Some cacti may become tree-sized but without branches, such as larger specimens of "Echinocactus platyacanthus". The growing and resting seasons for "Echinopsis" are the same as for "Echinocactus". The first description was in 1936 as Echinocactus herteri by Erich Werdermann. Furthermore, a species of cactus have been named after him&colon; "Echinocactus grusonii" and "Grusonia". Alternatively it has been assigned the binomials "Echinocactus emoryi", "Ferocactus rectispinus", and "Ferocactus covillei". Synonyms include "Echinocactus myriostigma", "Astrophytum prismaticum", "A. columnare", "A. tulense", and "A. nuda".