The name Opuntia spinosissima of authors, not (Martyn) Miller, has been applied to Consolea corallicola.

Consolea corallicola is endemic to the Florida Keys and near extinction. It is already extirpated from several keys and is known from fewer than twenty plants in the wild. Hurricanes, deer, and cactoblastis moths impact the health of the population.

Consolea corallicola is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.