Flora of North America species comparison

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.

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.

5–12 per areole, at most areoles, spreading, obscuring stems, yellow, acicular, larger ones 3–6 cm;

sheaths persisting, yellow to tan, loosely fitting, 2–4 mm diam.

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

in small adaxial tuft, pale yellow, 0.5–1.2 mm.

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.

inner tepals yellow to yellow-green, spatulate, 15–20 mm, apiculate;

filaments yellowish;

anthers yellow;

style green to reddish;

stigma lobes yellow-green to green.

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.

usually sterile, not proliferating, yellow to yellow-green, often tinged red, top-shaped to clavate, 25–50 × 8–15 mm, pulpy, tuberculate, spineless or sometimes weakly spined;

tubercles subequal;

umbilicus 5–7 mm deep;

areoles 32–40.

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.

light tan, ± obovate, to 2.5 × 2 mm;

girdle smooth.

= 22.