Flora of North America species comparison

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.

6–12 per areole, in all but proximalmost areoles, spreading, usually deflexed in abaxial ones, pale red-brown to dark brown, acicular, the longest to 2 cm;

sheaths pale yellow-brown, shiny.

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

in adaxial crescent and few along margin of areole, yellow to brown, 0.5–2.5 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 rose to magenta, to 20 mm;

filaments yellow-green to distally tinted pink to magenta;

anthers yellow, sometimes bearing stigma-tipped, stylelike appendages;

style greenish yellow to often pink distally;

stigma lobes yellow to white.

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.

usually sterile, often proliferating into short erect chains of 2–5 fruits, green, broadly ovoid to top-shaped, 21–25(–35) × 20–32 mm, fleshy, smooth to shallowly tuberculate, spineless;

umbilicus broadly shallow, 5–7 mm deep;

areoles (20–)25–35.

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.

rare, globose;

girdle smooth.

= 22, usually 33.