Xerophyte

Central Spines

4 on mature specimens, lowermost 1 porrect to slightly deflexed, strong, round to somewhat flattened, hooked, (17-)25-50(59) mm long, 0.5-1 mm diameter, white, grey or tan, dark brown, purplish-pink or black, usually streaked with white; 2 lateral centrals similar but straight; uppermost central 19-57 nm long, mostly 1.5-2 mm or less widee, rarely purple to pink, whitish, mostly angled, rarely flat or rhombic in cross-section, straight or nearly so.

Note

Sclerocactus whippleiSN|19477]]SN|19525]] var. reevesii is very similar to this taxon and often left as a synonym (Del Weniger 1984).

Flowers

Beautiful, more or less funnel-shaped, mostly fuchsia but some-times purplish, pink, or (rarely) whitish and never yellow, about 2.5-5 mm diameter and length; ovary has a few short, greenish, triangular scales with membranous, crinkled edges and short hairs in axils; outer perianth segments greenish in midline, edges whitish, membranous, crinkled, to about 12 mm wide; inner perianth segments (tepals) fuchsia, purple, rose, pink, or whitish, lanceolate, edges entire or nearly so; green or yellowish filaments; orange anthers; pinkish or rose style and stigma with 5-6 lobes.

Blooming Season

May-June (late spring).

Ribs

13-15 conspicuously tubercle. Tubercles 8-9 mm high.

Stem

Spherical to cylindrical, to about 30 cm tall. It usually grows single but occasionally forms small clusters of 2-3 heads.

Radial Spines

7-11 straight 12-24 mm long, all but 1 lower lateral on each side white, these 2 lower laterals grey or brownish.

Fruits

Oblong, to about 12-25 mm long, green to pinkish and fleshy at first, surface with several scales; when ripe becoming dry and opening by splitting.Chromosome number. 2n = 22.

Areoles

Circular at first, but growth of flower produces narrow extension upward, leaving areole elliptical or practically so, about 4-6 mm long, with much white wool.