The name Echinocactus conglomeratus published by Rodolfo Philippi in 1860 has remained of uncertain application although it is generally accepted to belong to the genus Copiapoa. Two attempts have been made to neotypify the name but neither is convincing as both taxa have characters which are inconsistent with the description of E. conglomeratus. Both neotypifications are rejected here due to conflict with the protologue. This paper investigates the account published by Philippi of the part of his journey through the Atacama Desert where he reports finding E. conglomeratus. Secondly a comparison is made between the description of E. conglomeratus and all of the Copiapoa species now known to grow in that area. Unfortunately, it is not possible to state with certainly which known species can be assigned to E. conglomeratus and so no typification is proposed. It is recommended E. conglomeratus is considered a name of uncertain application and its usage abandoned.