Xerophyte

Habit

At first simple or slowly clumping.

Central Spines

Usually absent or one very short and inconspicuous to up to 2 cm long, thin and porrect.

Flowers

Large and showy up to 10-12 cm in diameter near the stem tips and from second to third areoles on the ribs, perianth segments oblanceolate, acute, cream to bright-yellow delicately sweet-scented, often with some reddish midstripes. Stigma with 10-12 green lobes. Filaments light yellow. Spines of areoles on ovary and flower-tube short, white to brown with scarce white wool.

Blooming Season

Spring and summer. The individual flowers will last up to six days. Blooming generally begins 4 to 5 years after sowing, as the plant matures.

Spines

Younger plants have short spines while older ones are almost spineless.

Ribs

5-11 with narrow furrows between them, broad somewhat sinuate, rounded, spiralling when young and almost straight with time.

Stem

When young pale green, afterwards bluish green and finally darker green and more or less purplish, 10-20 cm tall, 7 to 9 cm in diameter.

Radial Spines

0 to 10 (usually 3 to 8), widely spreading, small, unequal, conic, yellowish, or creamishi with a darker tip, deciduous, 1 to 8 mm long (or more).

Fruits

Obovoid, spiny, grey-green with white pulp, deciduous by a longitudinal slit.

Areoles

Small, slightly woolly, 10-12 mm apart.