Origin and Habitat: Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanusSN|12648]]SN|12648]] (including the subspecies) is found over a wide area from many localities in the States of Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and western Tamaulipas, Mexico. The subsp. schmiedickeanus is found in Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Altitude: 1500-1800 metres above sea level.
Habitat and Ecology: This cactus grows in xerophytic shrubland (Chihuahuan Desert) among calcareous rocks, often in rock cracks or in the shade of Hechtia spp. together with Leuchtenbergia principisSN|12924]]SN|12924]] and Pelecyphora strobiliformisSN|1545]]SN|1545]]. Illegal collecting is the major threat, and overgrazing and subsequent erosion poses a lesser threat.

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus (Boed.) Buxb. & Backeb.
• Echinocactus schmiedickeanus Boed.
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana (Boed.) E.F.Anderson
• Pediocactus schmiedickeanus (Boed.) Halda
• Strombocactus schmiedickeanus (Boed.) J.West
• Toumeya schmiedickeana (Boed.) W.T.Marshall

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus (Boed.) Buxb. & Backeb.
• Echinocactus schmiedickeanus Boed.
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana (Boed.) E.F.Anderson
• Pediocactus schmiedickeanus (Boed.) Halda
• Strombocactus schmiedickeanus (Boed.) J.West
• Toumeya schmiedickeana (Boed.) W.T.Marshall
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. alenae Halda & Kupčák
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus f. aurata hort.
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus f. cristatus hort.
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana f. cristata hort.
• Turbinicarpus sp. Santa Rita n.n.

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. andersonii Mosco & Zanov.
• Turbinicarpus andersonii (Mosco & Zanov.) D.Donati
• Turbinicarpus macrochele subs. andersonii (Mosco & Zanov.) Doweld
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. panarottoi (Říha) Lüthy
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. panarottoi Říha

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. bonatzii (G.Frank) Panar.
• Pediocactus bonatzii (G.Frank) Halda
• Turbinicarpus bonatzii G.Frank

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. dickisoniae (Glass & R.A.Foster) N.P.Taylor
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana var. dickisoniae (Glass & R.A.Foster) E.F.Anderson
• Pediocactus schmiedickeanus var. dickisoniae (Glass & R.A.Foster) Halda
• Turbinicarpus dickisoniae Glass & A.Hofer in Glass
• Turbinicarpus gracilis subs. dickisoniae (Glass & R.A.Foster) Panar.
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. dickisoniae Glass & R.A.Foster

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. flaviflorus (G.Frank & A.B.Lau) Glass
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana var. flaviflora (G.Frank & A.B.Lau) E.F.Anderson
• Pediocactus schmiedickeanus var. flaviflorus (G.Frank & A.B.Lau) Halda
• Turbinicarpus flaviflorus G.Frank & A.B.Lau
• Turbinicarpus macrochele subs. flaviflorus (G.Frank & A.B.Lau) Doweld
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeana var. flaviflora (G.Frank & A.B.Lau) E.F.Anderson
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. flaviflorus (G.Frank & A.B.Lau) Glass & R.A.Foster

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. flaviflorus f. brevispinus
• Turbinicarpus flaviflorus f. brevispinus
• Turbinicarpus flaviflorus forma brevispina hort.
• Turbinicarpus flaviflorus forma inermis hort.
• Turbinicarpus flaviflorus f. inermis

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. gracilis (Glass & R.A.Foster) Glass
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana var. gracilis (Glass & R.A.Foster) E.F.Anderson
• Pediocactus schmiedickeanus var. gracilis (Glass & R.A.Foster) Halda
• Turbinicarpus gracilis Glass & R.A.Foster
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. gracilis (Glass & R.A.Foster) Glass & R.A.Foster

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. gracilis f. cristatus hort.
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana var. gracilis f. cristatata hort.
• Turbinicarpus gracilis f. cristatus hort.

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. klinkerianus (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) N.P.Taylor
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana var. klinkeriana (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) E.F.Anderson
• Pediocactus schmiedickeanus var. klinkerianus (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) Halda
• Strombocactus klinkerianus (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) Buining
• Strombocactus schmiedickeanus var. klinkerianus (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) G.D.Rowley
• Toumeya klinkeriana (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) Bravo & W.T.Marshall
• Toumeya schmiedickeana var. klinkeriana (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) Krainz
• Toumeya schmiedickeanus var. klinkerianus (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) Glass & R.A.Foster
• Turbinicarpus klinkerianus Backeb. & H.Jacobsen
• Turbinicarpus macrochele subs. klinkerianus (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) Doweld
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. klinkerianus (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) Glass & R.A.Foster
• Turbinicarpus klinkerianus subs. hiemalis D.Donati & Zanov.
• Turbinicarpus klinkerianus subs. planiziei D.Donati & Zanov.
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. klinkerianus f. aurata hort.
• Turbinicarpus klinkerianus f. aurata hort.
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. klinkerianus var. lilnkeuiduus
• Turbinicarpus lilinkioides hort.
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. klinkerianus f. pachystele
• Turbinicarpus klinkerianus f. pachystele
• Turbinicarpus pachystele
• Turbinicarpus sp. pachystele
• Turbinicarpus sp. Negrita

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. kupcakii (Halda & Horáček) Halda & Horáček
• Turbinicarpus macrochele subs. kupcakii Halda & Horáček

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. macrochele (Werderm.) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocactus macrochele Werderm.
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana var. macrochele (Werderm.) E.F.Anderson
• Pediocactus schmiedickeanus var. macrochele (Werderm.) Halda
• Strombocactus macrochele (Werderm.) Backeb.
• Toumeya macrochele (Werderm.) W.T.Marshall
• Turbinicarpus macrochele (Werderm.) Buxb. & Backeb.
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. macrochele (Werderm.) Glass & R.A.Foster
• Turbinicarpus macrochele subs. frailensis P.Lechner & Jantschgi
• Turbinicarpus macrochele subs. valteri D.Donati & Zanov.
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. macrochele f. cristatus hort.
• Turbinicarpus macrochele f. cristata hort.

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. polaskii (Backeb.) M.Zachar, Stanik, Lux & Dráb
• Strombocactus polaskii (Backeb.) T.Hewitt
• Toumeya macrochele f. polaskii (Backeb.) Kladiwa
• Toumeya schwarzii var. polaskii (Backeb.) Kladiwa
• Turbinicarpus macrochele subs. polaskii (P.Lechner & Jantschgi) D.Donati
• Turbinicarpus macrochele var. polaskii P.Lechner & Jantschgi
• Turbinicarpus polaskii Backeb.
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. polaskii f. variegatus hort.
• Turbinicarpus polaskii f. variegatus

• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. schwarzii (Shurly) N.P.Taylor
• Neolloydia schmiedickeana var. schwarzii (Shurly) E.F.Anderson
• Pediocactus schmiedickeanus var. schwarzii (Shurly) Halda
• Strombocactus schwarzii Shurly
• Thelocactus macrochele var. schwarzii (Shurly) Kladiwa
• Turbinicarpus klinkerianus subs. schwarzii (Shurly) D.Donati
• Turbinicarpus macrochele subs. schwarzii (Shurly) Doweld
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. schwarzii (Shurly) Glass & R.A.Foster
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus f. schwarzii (Shurly) Panar.
• Turbinicarpus schwarzii (Shurly) Backeb.
• Turbinicarpus ellisiae Halda, Kupčák & Panar.
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus subs. rubriflorus (G.Frank) Panar.
• Pediocactus schmiedickeanus var. rubriflorus (G.Frank) Halda
• Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. rubriflorus (G.Frank) M.Zachar
• Turbinicarpus schwarzii var. rubriflorus G.Frank

Description: Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanusSN|12648]]SN|12648]] (subsp. schmiedickeanus) is a tiny cactus species that grows almost completely buried in the ground.
Habit: It is solitary or slowly clumping, dichotomy also observed.
Stems: Globular more or less depressed, 30-50 mm high, 35-40 mm wide, green, apex with some white wool.
Ribs: completely divided into tubercles that are more or less well-rounded to square to almost short ,conical, 5 mm broad at the base, up to 7 mm long and pointing upwards, arranged in flat spirals.
Root: Taproot.
Areoles: On the tip of the tubercle, with a little wool, soon becoming bare.
Spines: 3 (more rarely 4) the lower one longer, up to 2,5 cm, the 2 side spines approximately 1/3 as short and the upper, very often missing, still shorter, flattened below, curved towards the apex and often contorted, grey, corky, rather soft, with transverse fissures. The spines are persistent only on the upper body; below they fall off, and the body and tubercles are corky and bare.
Flowers: Apical funnel shaped, whitish to pinkish, outside with darker midribs 14-25 mm wide. This plant is capable of blooming when it is little larger than 1 cm Ø.
Note: Twelve controversial subspecies are recognized: bonatzii (Gerhart Frank) Panar., dickisoniae (Glass & R.A.Foster) N.P.Taylor, flaviflorus (Gerhart Frank & A.B Lau) Glass, gracilis (Glass & R.A.Foster) Glass, jauernigii(Gerhart Frank) D.R.Hunt, klinkerianus (Backeb. & H.Jacobsen) N.P.Taylor, macrochele (Werderm.) N.P. Taylor, rioverdensis (Gerhart Frank) Lüthy, rubriflorus (Gerhart Frank) Panar., schmiedickeanus (Boed.) Rauh & Backeb. and schwarzii (Shurly) N.P.Taylor. But some hobbyists continue to place it in the genus Gymnocactus.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
2) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey "The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass" Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
3) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
4) Davide Donati, Carlo Zanovello “Conoscere, capire, coltivare i Turbinicarpus-Rapicactus” Cactus Trentino Sudtirol, 2004
5) Fitz Maurice, B, Fitz Maurice, W.A., Sotomayor, M. & Smith, M. 2013. Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus. In: IUCN 2013. "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species." Version 2013.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 February 2014.

Cultivation and Propagation: It’s a fairly easy and robust species to cultivate, but very slow growing. It needs a very well-drained soil, and requires strong sun to part sun to keep the plant compact and low and to develop a good spinal growth. Waterings should be rather infrequent to keep the plant compact, and avoid its becoming excessively elongated and unnatural in appearance. Furthermore it has a tap root, and watering it properly is often difficult, because it tends to crack open or rot if over-watered. Careful watering away from the body of the plant will allow the areoles to keep their wool. Keep dry in winter, or when night temperatures remain below 10° C. It is hardy to -4°C for a short period. Assure a good ventilation.
Reproduction: From seed, since the plant rarely produces plantlets, or grafted.