Monoecious subshrub, fleshy, cactiform, up to 1.2 m in height, hemispherical-spreading in shape, always with stems erect. It grows more in width than in height, reaching 3 m in diameter. Stems slightly or not ramose, bright green, tetragonal, exceptionally trigone, with \u00b1 concave faces and sharp angles. Stipular spines strong, rigid, 2-10 mm; arranged in pairs on the angles, born in an oval clearly defined bud. Leaves reduced to tiny tubercles at the angles, alongside the spines. Inflorescence pedunculate at the angles, between the pairs of spines; comprised of 3 completely yellow cyathia, the 2 lateral cyathia pedunculate and hermaphrodite, and the central cyathium \u2014sessile and male\u2014 usually develops and falls off before the lateral ones. Fruit a capsule (4-5 \u00d7 6-7.5 mm) subglobose, with peduncle 4-8 mm, with clearly distinct cocci, compressed, angular and carinate, glabrous, smooth, first greenish and then yellowish. Each coccus carries 1 seed (2.7-3 \u00d7 2.5 \u00d7 2.5 mm), subglobose, with the surface dotted with small and thin plates of irregular contour, greyish or yellowish, without caruncula.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-12144","species","type-species","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n