Xerophyte

Seeds

30-40 per fruit, brown to brown-black, 1 mm long. Seed surface is covered by small warts.

Roots

Strong, fibrous.

Note

Latin “grata” graceful, pleasant, sweet. This specie, as the name implies, has graceful, sweet, flowers.

Tubercles

Many, closely set up to 10 mm long and 5 mm thick at the base. The inner side of the tubercles has shallow, evident furrow 8 mm long tapering to the flower part of the areola at the base of the tubercle.

Flowers

Up to 25 mm long and 30 mm in diameter wide-opening. Outer perianth segments light pink, fuzzy at apex. Inner perianth segments in two central whirls, shiny mauve-violet, darker in the middle. Stigma with five cream coloured lobes. Stamens numerous, anthers prominent yellow.

Spines

All radial grey-white with brown or black tips. About 1 mm long, lower ones 4-6 mm long, upper ones 10-14 mm long. Upper radial spines near the plant apex are very dense and may look like central spines.

Stem

At first single ovoid, later slightly elongated up to 70 mm tall and 40 mm thick, with several offsets at the base.

Fruits

Round shaped 10 mm wide drying out at maturity.

Areoles

Elliptical.