| General Description | Shrub or small tree with dense grey spines and stunning purple, occasionally red or yellow flowers. |
| Habitat | Flats, valleys and plains in deep soils at an altitude of 600-1,200 m. |
| Leaf Description | Acicular and thin 9-12 mm in length and 1.5 mm in diameter. Spines are straight, grey and about 10-20 per areole, spread in all directions, 06-1.5 cm long. |
| Flower Description | 4.5-5 cm in diameter a beautiful purple colour, occasionally red or yellow, filaments are purple, 4.5-6 mm long, yellow thin anthers, 2.25 mm in length. |
| Fruit Description | Bright yellow in colour, obovoid, fleshy and spineless, 2.5-4.5 cm long and 2-2.5 cm in diameter. |