Xerophyte

Leaves

Small chocolate-brown, caducous.

Seeds

Elliptic, around 8 mm broad, 1.5 to 2 mm white to brownish, glabrous thick, with broad, thick, white margins. Aril hard and woody.

Note

epithet derived from the local vernacular name "quimilo" used by locals in North Argentina to describe the species.

Flowers

Gynodioecious. Shiny carmine or red, 5-7 cm long and 35-50 mm in diameter. Pericarpel 40-50 mm long, with white areoles, those of the upper edge covered with yellowish glochids and scales. Perianth segments fleshy in consistency, external ones wine-red to blood-red, then yellow with a blood-red point. Internal ones vermilion. Throat whitish with a green ring to the base of stamens. Stamens seismonasty present (the stamens are sensitive and move in response to shock due to changes in turgor pressure caused by vibration). Filaments pink with a white base; anthers white to cream. Style white; stigma greenish-white, with 7-8 lobes. Nectar chamber present.
With both male (stamens) and female (Pistils) reproductive organs. Under experimental conditions female fertility is as high as that of hermaphrodites, however, seeds from females always result from cross-pollination and from more severe ovule selection (ovule number is higher in female flowers). Under natural conditions female plants are reproductively more successful than hermaphrodites.
With stamens entirely aborted, but with fertile pistils.

Glochids

Few, not evident,greyish-yellow, of 2-4 mm long.

Spines

Very long, absent on the young segments, appearing sporadically on the older segments, usually 1, sometimes 2 or 3 from an areole, stiff, spreading, white becoming grey with a light brown tip, straight or twisted, 7 to 15 cm long. The old trunk-areoles sometimes bear as many as eight spines.

Stem

Joints, succulent, large, elliptic or obovate, 15-30-(50) cm long by 8-15-(25) cm broad, 2 to 3 cm thick, shiny green, greyish green or bluish green, rounded at the top.Areoles; Large, prominent 3-4 (or more) mm in diameter, with white to greyish wool (when young), soon becoming bare.

Fruits

Pear-shaped to globular, 5-7 cm long 3-4 cm in diameter, greenish yellow passing to wine-red at maturity. The fruits are fleshy but unpalatable.