Xerophyte

Central Spines

3-4, 30-80 mm long (in sunny locations occasionally up to 100 mm long), 0.3-0.7 mm in thick at the base, often somewhat angular, twisted and pointed, straight or up curved and spreading, longer ones pointing sidewards or slightly downwards, the new growth yellow to yellow-brown, sometimes brown, later horn coloured with yellow-brown tips.

Seeds

About 1.6 mm long and about 1.2 mm wide, black, shiny, divided into very low warts with weak cuticular folding limited to the edge zone.

Roots

Fibrous.

Flowers

Funnel-shaped, 4-5 cm long, 2.5-4 cm in diameter. Tepals 15 mm long and 3-4 mm wide, lanceolate, thick, fleshy, rusty-red to the orange-yellow, the receptacle with a slight green tint. Filaments yellow, sometimes light grey-violet. Anthers light grey-purple to grey magenta. Pollen straw-yellow. Style yellowish-white. Stigma lobes c. 9 , yellow-green. Flower tube 2.5-3.5 cm long and 6-8 mm in diameter, apple-green, smooth, with small round areoles, which bear little white wool and 8-9 spines mainly directed upward with brown tips. Each areola is subtended by a small fleshy scale. The flowers indeed are quite variable, sometime they are smaller or with two whorls of petals, or with filaments and anthers grey-magenta.

Ribs

(10-)11-12 (-13) slightly tuberculate, 8-12 mm apart.

Stem

Cylindrical, mostly erect, 15-28 cm long, 3-5 (6) cm across light yellow-green to dull green.

Radial Spines

8-12, 5-20 mm long, (0.2 mm maximum thickness), spreading, located mainly on the sides, straight, but also curved, light horn coloured with yellow tips.

Fruits

Small, oval (12 x 20 mm) with flower remnants (15-20 mm long) at first brown-green, then purple-red, later turning brown with round areoles about 1 mm in diameter with 8-12 thin white spines 6-10 mm long with brown tips, and a few very short curly white hair.

Areoles

Round, 3-5 mm in diameter, with a light beige to grey felt, about 10 mm apart.