Flora of North America species comparison

segments firmly attached, cylindric, 10–30(–50) × 2–2.5(–3) cm;

tubercles prominent, narrow to broad, 1.5–4.5 cm;

areoles elliptic to subcircular, 4–5.5 × 4–5 mm;

wool white or yellowish to tan, aging gray-black.

segments whorled or subwhorled, gray-green, often drying blackish, ± spiny throughout, terminal ones easily dislodged, 6–16(–23) × 2–3.5 cm;

tubercles salient, broadly oval, 0.8–1.3(–1.9) cm;

areoles obdeltate, 5–7(–10) × 2.5–4 mm;

wool gold to tan, aging gray to black.

6–20(–30+) per areole, often accompanied by 0–5 short bristlelike spines at areole margins, usually in distal areoles;

major abaxial spines deflexed to divergent, subterete to flattened;

major adaxial spines ascending-divergent, terete, yellow or tan to deep red-brown, aging gray, the central spine longest, 12–30(–38) mm;

sheaths white to grayish with yellow to golden tips, baggy to tight fitting.

0–12(–18) per areole, at most areoles to nearly absent, yellowish, sometimes also pale pinkish, aging brown, interlaced or not with spines of adjacent areoles;

abaxial spines erect to deflexed, spreading, flattened basally, the longest to 3.5 cm;

adaxial spines erect or spreading, terete to subterete, longest to 2.5 cm;

sheaths uniformly whitish, yellowish to golden, baggy.

in inconspicuous to small adaxial tuft, yellow to brown, 0.5–2 mm.

in adaxial tuft, sometimes also scattered along areole margins, yellow, 1–3 mm.

inner tepals bright yellow to bronze to brick red, spatulate, 20–30 mm, apiculate-emarginate;

filaments red;

anthers yellow;

style and stigma lobes white to light green.

inner tepals usually reflexed, pink to magenta, obovate to ligulate, 12–16 mm, apiculate emarginate;

filaments pale pink to magenta;

anthers white to cream;

style pinkish;

stigma lobes whitish to pale yellow.

tan at maturity, obconic to ellipsoid, 15–35 × 15–20 mm, dry, tuberculate, densely to sparsely spiny (rarely spineless), with apical flange above shallow umbilicus;

basal tubercles longest;

areoles 12–30.

proliferating, forming long, branching, pendent chains, at maturity gray-green, often stipitate, obconic, fleshy, shallowly tuberculate, usually spineless;

basal fruits 32–55 × 23–45 mm;

terminal fruits 2–3.3 × 1.3–2.3 cm;

tubercles becoming obscure;

umbilicus to 8 mm deep;

areoles 18–35.

pale yellow to tan, angular or squarish in outline, warped, 3.5–5 × 3–4.5 mm, sides smooth, each with 2–4 large depressions;

girdle smooth.

pale yellow to brownish, angular to very irregular in outline, warped, 1.9 × 1.5–3.5 mm, sides with 1–2 large depressions, hilum pointed;

girdle smooth.