Flora of North America species comparison

diffuse or short taproots also present, largest roots basally less than 1/5 of stem diam.

diffuse or short taproots.

cylindric, 5–27+ × 4.5–9 cm;

tubercles 10–14 × 6–10 mm, stiff;

areolar glands absent;

parenchyma not mucilaginous;

druses in pith and cortex relatively sparse, some giant, to 1 mm, lenticular;

pith 1/5–1/4 of lesser stem diam.;

medullary vascular system present (its vascular bundles numerous, small, and close together) or, in young plants, absent.

deep-seated (buried except for its apical 0.5–3 cm), 2–10 × 2–6 cm;

tubercles 5–8 × 4–6 mm, moderately soft;

areolar glands absent.

30–51 per areole, heavily or lightly pigmented, tan to purplish gray or white proximally, black or sepia distally, darkest when fresh, weathering to blackish, radial spines slightly contrasting with centrals, dull creamy white, dark tips present, usually purplish black;

radial spines 18–33 per areole, 12–18 × 0.15–0.45 mm;

subcentral spines 1–3 often present;

outer central spines 6–15 per areole, always radiating in adults protruding at all angles;

inner central spines 0–10 per areole (3–7 per areole on subadult plants), all porrect or nearly so, straight, largest spines 10–23 × 0.5–0.9 mm.

11–20 per areole, white, largest spines dark tipped when fresh, straight;

radial spines 10–20 per areole, 8–18 × 0.2–0.5 mm;

central spines 0(–1) per areole, similar to largest radial spines, but porrect, ca. 8–18 mm.

nearly apical, 20–30 × 25–39 mm;

outer tepals densely fringed;

inner tepals 21(–42) per flower, widely spreading, pale to intense rose-pink or rose-violet, with paler margins (white or pale rose), darker midstripes conspicuous, proximally white, 14–23 × 2–4 mm;

outer filaments white, pale rose, or pink with white bases, not greatly contrasting with inner tepals;

anthers bright dark yellow;

stigma lobes 5–9, widely spreading, pure white (rarely pale violet), 3–4 mm.

nearly apical, 12–29 × 10–18.5 mm;

outer tepals fringed;

inner tepals 14 per flower, dull yellow, frequently tinted greenish or bronze, often with midstripes of brownish or dull pink;

outer filaments greenish;

anthers bright yellow;

stigma lobes green or yellow-green.

pale green throughout, narrowly fusiform-cylindric to narrowly obovoid, 16–25 × 6–12 mm, succulent;

floral remnant persistent Seeds reddish brown, obovoid to slightly comma-shaped, 1.3–1.6 mm, pitted.

bright orange-red or scarlet, spheric to obovoid, 6–8.5 × 3–4.5 mm, slightly juicy, quickly drying and turning brownish;

floral remnant weakly persistent, often deciduous through breakage not abscission.

dark brown, drying blackish, spheric, 1.3–1.4 mm, pitted.

= 22.