Flora of North America species comparison

± diffuse.

diffuse.

ovoid to cylindric (spheric), 4–16 × (2.2–)3–6(–6.5) cm;

tubercles (6–)8–11 × 3–6 mm, firm;

areolar glands absent;

parenchyma not mucilaginous;

druses in pith and cortex nearly microscopic, mostly spheric;

pith 1/8–1/4 of lesser stem diam.;

medullary vascular system absent.

ovoid to cylindric, 3–6 × 1.5–3 cm;

tubercles 4–8 × 3–5 mm, moderately soft;

areolar glands absent;

parenchyma not mucilaginous;

druses in pith and cortex abundant but nearly microscopic;

pith ca. 1/2 of lesser stem diam.;

medullary vascular system absent.

(17–)21–41 per areole, ashy white, gray, or pale tan, tips of largest spines pinkish tan to reddish brown or reddish black, all straight;

radial spines 15–41 per areole, gray, (5–)7–12(–13.5) mm, largest spines 0.1–0.2 mm diam.;

subcentral spines 0–6 per areole;

central spines usually 5;

outer central spines (1–)3(–7) per areole, erect or ascending;

inner central spines (0–)2 per areole, porrect or descending, longest spines (5–)10–15(–18) × 0.2–0.3(–0.5) mm.

(21–)27–51(–60?) per areole, snowy white or gray, except inner central spines pale yellow or tan proximally, reddish brown to nearly black in distal 1/2 or more;

radial spines (18–)24–41 per areole, (4–)6–9(–10) × 0.03–0.2 mm, adaxial 1–4 radial spines of fresh areoles on the largest stems greatly elongated, hairlike, ± contorted, semideciduous;

subcentral spines 0–12 per areole;

outer central spines (1–)3–9(–17) per areole, straight;

inner central spines 0(–1) per areole, ascending, descending, or porrect, other spines appressed or (usually) slightly projecting, some often descend from abaxial 1/2 of areole, (4–)5–13(–17.5) × 0.17–0.27 mm.

apical or nearly so, (18–)20–30(–32) × 20–45(–4) mm, sterile distal part of flower tube 5–8.5(–11) mm, longer than stamen-bearing part;

outer tepals conspicuously fringed;

inner tepals 21 per flower, pure white, pale rose-pink, or pale lavender-pink, darker centrally, midstripes ± inconspicuous, (9–)11–19 × 1.5–2.5(–3.5) mm;

outer filaments cream;

anthers pale yellow or nearly white;

stigma lobes 4–6(–8), white, (1.8–)2–4 mm.

nearly apical, 15–30 × 10–19 mm, sterile distal part of flower tube 0–2 mm, shorter than stamen-bearing part;

outer tepals conspicuously fringed;

inner tepals 14 per flower, sometimes shiny greenish yellow, usually with ± sharply defined midstripes of pinkish, brown, or brownish green, sometimes purplish pink distally, margins and proximal portion white or cream, 8–12 × 1.5–3 mm;

outer filaments white;

anthers bright yellow;

stigma lobes 4(–7), dark green to bright yellow (rarely red), 1.5–2 mm.

bright red [green to maroon], ellipsoid, cylindric, or narrowly obovoid, (8–)13–25 × 3.5–6.5(–7.5) mm, not very succulent;

floral remnant strongly persistent.

bright red throughout [sometimes green], ellipsoid, cylindric, or narrowly obovoid, 11–20 × 3–5 mm, not very succulent;

floral remnant strongly persistent.

reddish brown, darker with age, obliquely obovoid, 0.9–1 mm, pitted.

black, even when fresh, ± spheric, pitted.

= 22 (as C. strobiliformis, C. varicolor, and Escobaria tuberculosa).

= 22.