Xerophyte

Roots

Each plant has a large turnip-like taproot, which lies below the soil surface and serves for water storage.

Flowers

These plants have a woolly crown, from which emerge bright pink-violet flowers up to 2.5-5 cm, 2 times wider than long when fully expanded. Flowers last for 3 to 4 days.

Blooming Season

October, November.

Stem

Star-shaped composed by a rosette of fleshy, deltoid to hemispheric tubercles, which have no spines. The tubercles, about as long as wide, are coarsely rugose, and often sharply angled apically and closely packed to form a coarse mosaic.

Areoles

The areoles are up to 3 mm wide, sometimes confined to middle of tubercle faces instead of extending to tips.