It's the species of cactus appearing on Arizona's state license plate
... A version of 
this article appears in print on , on page A19 of the New York edition... [DOC] [TLE] threatened monarch of the desert - Taylor & Francis Online [PAR] However, the species grows very slowly  often only 2.5 cm (1 inch) in a year ... 
on a variety of soil types, but often on rocky areas in the periphery of its range.