The original description of Echinocactus corynodes corresponds to a plant from Uruguay, mostly known, irrespective of the genus where it was included, under the specific epithet arechavaletai or neoarechavaletai. The name corynodes has been considered in the literature as a synonym of Cactus erinaceus, a closely related but very different plant with bigger stems and spination of a different shape and arrangement. The goal of this paper is the rehabilitation of the name Echinocactus corynodes. Additionally, the complicated nomenclatural history of the epithets arechavaletai and neoarechavaletai are explained in detail.