Xerophyte

Central Spines

0 to3 ( but usually absent) small, terete.

Seeds

Black.

Flowers

Beautiful, abundant, scented, always purple in colour, 5 to 7 cm long. Flower tube 22-40 long, 10-30 mm in diameter, clothed with dense greyish wool, flower tube hairs 5-15 mm long; anthers yellow; nectar chamber 2-5 mm. Stigma lobes 12.

Blooming Season

Early May to Late June.

Ribs

10-19 straight or slightly undulate.

Stem

Erect, cylindrical or short cylindrical, as the the species, but smaller in maximum size and in diameter.

Radial Spines

14 to 22, straight to slightly curved, held closely against the the ribs of the stems, organized in 2 series, pectinately arranged or nearly so, 5 to 8 mm long. Multi-coloured, dullcreamy-white, glistering purplish to almost black at their tips, at first, whitish on older areoles.

Fruits

Ovoid green, olive green, or dark green, fruit up to 28 mm long; fruiting 1,5-2,5 months after flowering.

Areoles

1-6 mm apart.