Xerophyte

Central Spines

2-4 longer and stronger than marginal, straight, subulate, round in cross section, 2 mm thick at the base up to 80 mm long, young spines brownish with a mauve tinge, transversely ribbed, older spines greyish asbestos-like with piling fibrous surface.

Seeds

Black, pear-shaped, with tuberculate testa, about 1.5 mm long.

Description

Stem

Flowers

Funnel form with a short flower tube 50 mm wide and tall, tepals dark red-violet lanceolate, numerous, arranged in two or three rows. Outer tetals dark purple with lighter edges, inner tetals lighter purple, with darker central stripe. Pistil yellow, about 20 mm long, with 10 yellow stigma lobes. Anthers yellow.

Ribs

13, in spirals, deeply divided into individual tubercles, tubercles erect with blunt keel on the bottom side down of the areoles.

Radial Spines

4-7(-11 ) yellowish-colored glassy.

Fruits

Barrel-shaped, at first fleshy, dark purple, covered with scales, about 10-12 mm wide, with a hard pericarp, opening at maturity at the base.

Areoles

Oval, about 4 mm wide and 7 mm long, at first with yellowish or whitish felt later bare.