Flora of North America species comparison

0 or 1–15+ per areole, few and at distal areoles or many and on most areoles, usually erect to spreading, appearing unruly, sometimes deflexed, straight or curving, acicular, often flexible, subterete to flattened basally;

longer ones reddish brown to ± black (rarely yellow to red in w Texas), or partly to wholly white, 30–120(–170) mm; reflexed spine rarely present, 1 in some areoles, short, whitish.

1–5 per areole, spreading, yellow to orange, tipped yellow, darkening with age (at higher elevations), or dark red-brown (lower elevations), ± acicular, longest 20–67 mm, terete to flattened near base, often curved.

dense in crescent at adaxial edge of areole and well-developed subapical tuft, reddish yellow, aging brown, 2–3(–6) mm.

widely spaced, in crescent at adaxial margin of areole, partially encircling areoles, and in poorly developed subapical tuft, yellow, of irregular lengths, tending to elongate towards bases of areoles, to 4 mm.

inner tepals yellow with red basal portions, obovate-apiculate, 25–40 mm;

filaments and anthers yellowish;

style cream;

stigma lobes green.

inner tepals pale yellow to buff throughout, to 25–30 mm;

filaments pale green;

anthers and style yellow;

stigma lobes green.

red to purplish, obovoid to barrel-shaped, 25–40 × 20–23 mm, fleshy or ± juicy, glabrous, spineless;

umbilicus 8–10 mm deep;

areoles 22–44.

reddish purple, ellipsoid to spheric, barrel-shaped, 33–45 × 40–50 mm, juicy, base not or little tapered, glaucous, spineless;

areoles 16–20, mostly near apex.

yellowish, suborbicular to reniform, angled, 5–7 × 3.5–5 mm, sides flattened;

girdle protruding 0.8–1.2 mm.

yellow to tan, 3.5–4.5 × 3–4 mm diam.;

girdle protruding to 1 mm.

= 22, 44.

= 22.