| General Description | A low, clump forming shrub, larger terminal joints which gradually develop upward, narrowly ellipsoid or cylindroid. |
| Cultivation | Sandy soils. |
| Notable Specimens | Mojave Desert, California, United States of America.
Sagebrush Desert, Nevada, United States of America. |
| Habitat | Dessert dunes, river bottoms, dry lake edges, valley and plains at an altitude of 1,200-1,500 m. |
| Leaf Description | Spines are long, flattened, ridged and grooved and found at the top of the joint, greyish-white, brown or pink in colour, 8-15 per areole, 6 cm x 1.5 mm. |
| Flower Description | A beautifully soft purple or rose in colour, 3-4 x 3-4.5 cm. The filament is a greenish-yellow in colour and 6 mm long, anthers 1.5 mm long and yellow, the style purplish, 10-15 mm in length. |
| Fruit Description | Smooth, soft purplish-brown spines (20 or more per fruit), fleshy and reddish in colour, 2-3 x 1-1.2 cm. |