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.

0–5 per areole, usually in distal areoles or sometimes absent or nearly so, tan to red-brown to deep purple, aging gray;

major abaxial spines 0–1(–2), the longest spine spreading, (1.5–)2.5–6 cm;

adaxial spines usually reflexed, short to ± 1 cm;

sheaths baggy.

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

in subcircular to linear adaxial tuft, yellow to tan to brown, to 2 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 bronze-red ± suffused rose, with mid stripes darker, ovate, 6–13 mm, acute-apiculate to attenuate;

filaments greenish;

anthers yellow;

style whitish or blushed with rose-pink or light green;

stigma lobes whitish.

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.

maturing tan, ellipsoid to stipitate-ellipsoid, 15–30 × 10–15 mm, dry at maturity, tuberculate, developing increasingly burlike, with many bristlelike spines;

areoles (32–)40–66, evenly spaced, woolly.

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 tan-gray, angular to squarish in outline, warped, 4–4.5 × 3.5–4 mm, sides irregularly concave-convex;

girdle smooth.

= 22, 44.