Xerophyte

Seeds

Black or dark brown, glossy, bowl to helmet shaped about 2 mm long, 3 mm broad.

Roots

The underground body is fleshy, turnip-like, with fine diffuse roots.

Flowers

Apical, diurnal, radial, 3-5 cm long, 5-9 cm in diameter opening widely, yellow with orange/red throats. Ovary and tube very short, densely covered with thin, bristle-like, black tipped scales and with cobwebby wool in axils.

Blooming Season

Spring to summer and each flower lasts for one or two days only, but the plant may flower at any time during the warmer months of the year if adequate water is provided.

Spines

Not any.

Ribs

Usually 8 broad, very low, irregularly bumped and elephant-skin-like, with wrinkled cross-grooves. The normal rib number eight is very stable but selected cultivars and hybrids can have from 4 to 13 ribs.

Stem

Non-branched, much depressed, disc-shaped to low dome-shaped, grey-green to dull green (unless stressed), mature plants up to 7 cm tall, 5-16 cm broad.

Fruits

Oval to round, about 1,5-2 cm long, green, pinkish or greyish-red densely covered with spines and dull-white wool, becoming dry and finally breaking off at or near base (not opening above the base).

Areoles

Round, prominent, 3-12 mm in diameters, felted to hairy, white, creamy, dirty-yellow till straw-coloured, then grey.