Xerophyte

Habit

It is small cactus species forming a flattened and much-ribbed sphere.

Central Spines

1-4(-6), one much longer (1-2,5cm ), spreading or turned downward.

Seeds

0,8-1 mm, bell-shaped broadest at the hilum, somewhat, tuberculate, shiny and black.

Flowers

1-5 produced together at the apex, bright yellow, funnel-shaped, large, about 5 to 8 cm across. Outer perianth-segments narrow, acute, reddish, inner perianth-segments oblong, yellow almost transparent, except the reddish tips, acute. Stigma-lobes scarlet. Scales on the ovary hairy in their axils. Perianth-tube slender.

Blooming Season

Summer.

Spines

10 to 12, spreading, setaceous, hair-like to bristle-like, some more or less curved to twisted, brown, reddish or partly whitish to yellowish often poorly differentiated as centrals and radials.

Ribs

about 16 to 20, with somewhat conspicuous chin-like tubercles between the areoles

Stem

Simple, broadly globular or somewhat depressed at apex, eventually longer in age, about 3-10 cm tall, and 4-10 cm across, light or dark glossy green, ribbed and warty at the top.

Radial Spines

9 to 25, about 5 to 7 mm long adpressed and interlaced.

Fruits

Green ovoid to globular approx. 1,5 cm cm long, thin-walled, splitting or disintegrating at maturity with more than 100 seeds per fruit.

Areoles

Young areoles white-felted.