Flora of North America species comparison

fleshy taproots, to 24 cm, 5–8 cm diam.

diffuse, upper portion not enlarged.

cylindric to ovoid-cylindric, commonly 5–15(–25) × 3.5–7(–10) cm, flaccid;

tubercles 4 mm diam.;

axils short woolly;

cortex and pith mucilaginous;

latex absent.

depressed-spheric to short cylindric, (1–)2–3.5 × (1.4–)2–4(–7) cm, firm;

tubercles 3–6(–8) × 2–3 mm;

axils without evident hairs;

cortex and pith not mucilaginous;

latex clear or slightly milky, sporadic, only in outer cortex.

21–64 per areole, dark or light colored, depending largely on substrate color, glabrous (to hoary);

radial spines 30–46(–60) per areole, white, bristlelike, 6–10 × 0.09–0.15 mm, stiff;

central spines 1–3(–4) per areole, porrect or strongly projecting, usually hooked, (6–)13–18(–25) × (0.2–)0.3(–0.4) mm;

subcentral spines several, often 12+ per areole, radiating in all directions, often resembling supplementary ring of radial spines, barely distinguishable from radial spines, stouter, longer and dark tipped or purplish.

(26–)40–60(–90) per areole, in several series but all equally thin, mostly appressed, white or very pale pink, often minutely tipped pinkish brown, innocuous, bristlelike, 0.6–5(–6) × 0.05–0.1 mm, glabrous to plumose, all interpreted as radial, innermost spines shortest;

central spines 0.

2.5 × 2.5–3.5 cm;

outermost tepal margins long fringed;

inner tepals pink to rose-purple, margins sometimes paler or white, at least proximally, 24–26 × 4 mm;

stigma lobes yellow-green to green.

0.9–1.5(–2) × 0.8–1.3(–1.8) cm;

outermost tepal margins entire (or minutely and irregularly lacerate);

inner tepals white or cream, usually with sharply defined midstripes of green, yellow, tan, pink, pale purple, or reddish, 4.5–8 × 1.5–2.7 mm;

stigma lobes yellow or pale yellow-green to green, 0.3–1 mm.

bright red, ellipsoid or cylindric to clavate, (8–)15–30 × 5–10 mm, juicy only in fruit walls;

floral remnant quickly deciduous, leaving conspicuous abscission scar.

scarlet, cylindric or clavate, 10–20(–25) × (3–)4–8(–11) mm, juicy mostly in fruit walls;

floral remnant persistent.

black, conspicuously strophiolate, 1.4–2.4 × 1.4 mm, pitted and rugose;

testa hard;

anticlinal cell walls straight (not undulate);

interstices narrower than pit diameters;

pits bowl-shaped;

strophiole tan, large, corky.

black, 1–1.2[–1.4] × 0.8[–1.1] × 0.8 mm, pitted;

testa hard;

interstices equaling pit diameters;

pits bowl-shaped.

= 22.

= 22.