Xerophyte

Description

The standard T. lophophoroides is a well known solitary, globose cactus, but the monstrous mutant here described is a completely different looking plan that forms small compact mound up to 10 cm in diameter. It looks like a strange marine creature than a cactus, similar to a dark coral with hundreds of white individual polyps, each polyp only a few millimetres in diameter.

Flowers

Unknown.

Spines

About 8-10 radially spreading, white, very short (1-2 mm long) that remembering a small star or a white spider.

Stem

It is formed by an intricate multitude of small tangled protrusion of soft, rubbery-textured bumps, only a few mm across. The stem is purplish-green, and in full sun take a very dark colouring (almost black)

Areoles

Very small not woolly.