Flora of North America species comparison

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

thick taproots, large in upper portion.

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.

subspheric, 4–5 × 5–8 cm, soft, flaccid;

tubercles 12–25 × 5–8 mm;

axils slightly short woolly, without bristles;

cortex and pith not mucilaginous;

latex absent.

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.

13–15 per areole, whitish to yellowish, glabrous;

radial spines 12–14 per areole, gray, bristlelike, 6–9 × 0.1 mm, stiff;

central spines 1 per areole, porrect, straight, not hooked or curved, similar to radial spines, 3–6 × 0.25 mm;

subcentral 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.

4 × 5–7 cm;

outermost tepal margins entire (or minutely toothed near base);

inner tepals bright yellow, paler near base, 20–30 × 4.5–8.5 mm;

stigma lobes cream to pale yellow, 5–6 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.

greenish white to dull pinkish tan or maroon, ovoid to short cylindric, 10–15(–20) × 7 mm, juicy throughout;

floral remnant weakly 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.

brown, 1.3 × 0.9 mm, pitted;

testa soft or leathery, not hard or brittle;

anticlinal cell walls straight to slightly curved;

interstices equal or narrower than pit diameters;

pits bowl-shaped.

= 22.

= 22.