Xerophyte

Central Spines

Often wanting, sometimes 1-2, thicker, 6-10 mm long, brown.

Seeds

1.2mm long, 1 mm wide, dark brown, slightly tuberculate with a large basal hilum.

Flowers

Diurnal, borne on the stems' side near ground level, up to 40 mm long and wide almost scentless. Pericarpel 5 mm long and thick, at base reddish brown becoming green above, covered with white wool and abundant white bristles. Scales triangular, small, green about 7 mm long and 3 mm thick. Nectary, funnel-shaped, 2 mm long. Tube funnel-shaped 8 mm long, inside pale greenish, outside likewise, the pericarpel. Inner perianth segments, 18-20 mm long, 7-8 mm wide, spatula-shaped, above slightly jagged with a pointed tip, crimson to purple, edged orange red. Outer perianth-segments, shorter, pointed, more linear, purple with white-green tips, the outermost with white-green stripes. Stamens very pale purple, almost white above, 7-10 mm long. Anthers pale yellow. Style very pale green, free part 16 mm long, with very pale greenish-yellow stigma-lobes.

Ribs

11-13, deeply notched to near the base, 3-5 mm high. Tubercles, rounded.

Stem

Spherical or slightly elongated, solitary or clustered, up to 45 mm in diameter with long tap-root. Epidermis green.

Radial Spines

10-14, spreading sideways,3-5 mm long, needle-like, rough, straight,with a thickened brown base, the finer ones white, the coarser ones yellow-brown, dark-pointed.

Fruits

About 6 mm in diameter coloured and clothed as a the pericarpel.

Areoles

Oval 2-3 mm long, 2 mm wide, on the tubercles, brownish to reddish 2-4 mm apart.