Xerophyte

Habit

Segmented bushy succulent slowly growing up to up to 30 cm.

Flowers

Blooms are either white or yellow. The white flowers made a nice contrast to the earth-tone colours of the plant.

Spines

This species is very variable as to whether it is spine-bearing or not. The spiny forms (also known as "papyracanthus") have broad, raffia like, conspicuous , flattened spines which are not spines but thin ribbon like processes, and vary much as to their colour, markings, and length. This variation are partly the cause of so many synonyms for the species.

Stem

It develops in little pine-cone shaped segments with noticeably conical tubercles. The segments (cladodes) are loosely attached to each other and fall easily.

Fruits

1 to 5 cm long fruit is brown.