a succulent spiny leafless bush, 4–6 ft. high, erect; branches up to 2 1/4 (when dried 1/2–1 1/2) in. in diam., 4–7-angled, slightly constricted at varying intervals, glabrous, green; angles compressed, slightly or conspicuously sinuate-toothed, separated by concave faces or grooves 1/2– 3/4 in. broad; spine-shields separate or connected into a horny brown border, even on the same branch, 1–1 1/2 lin. broad; spines in pairs 3–9 lin. apart, diverging, 1–3 lin. long or sometimes rudimentary or absent, without prickles at their base, dark brown; leaves rudimentary, scale-like, 1/2 lin. long, broadly deltoid-ovate, soon deciduous; flowering-eyes 1–2 lin. above the spine-pairs and touching or enclosed in the spine-shields; cymes usually 3 together at each flowering-eye, sessile or on peduncles up to 1 1/2 lin. long, each with 3 involucres, the central male, the lateral hermaphrodite; bracts 1/2– 3/4 lin. long, scale-like, ovate or ovate-oblong, obtuse or subacute, glabrous; involucre 2–2 1/2 (when dried 1 1/2–2) lin. in diam., cup-shaped or campanulate, glabrous, with 5 glands and 5 subquadrate toothed lobes, all bright yellow; glands contiguous or subcontiguous, 3/4–1 1/4 lin. in their greater diam., transversely oblong, entire, often with the ends deflexed; capsule 3–3 1/2 lin. in diam., exserted 1 1/2–2 lin. beyond the involucre, 3-angled, with a distinct keel down each angle and a disc-like calyx at its base; styles united into a column 3/4–1 lin. long, with bifid spreading or recurved arms 1/4– 3/4 lin. long; seeds immature in the specimens seen. null
