succulent, 1 1/2–2 ft. high, with numerous branches from a thick rootstock or main stem wholly or partly buried in the ground, spineless, but the branches beset with the hardened persistent remains of the peduncles, not true spines, only dried branches seen, 3–18 in. long, 1/2– 3/4 in. thick, evidently stouter when alive, unbranched, cylindric or slightly thickened upwards, erect, covered with rhomboid conical tubercles 3–4 lin. long, 1–3 lin. broad and 1–3 1/2 lin. prominent, glabrous; leaves 1/2–2 in. long, 3/4–1 1/3 lin. broad, linear, channelled down the face from incurved margins, acute, soon deciduous, glabrous, somewhat fleshy; peduncles solitary in the axils of the tubercles at the tips of the branches, persistent and hardening, at first 1/2– 3/4 in. long, apparently elongating as the fruit ripens up to 1 1/4 in. or perhaps more, bearing about 4 bracts and 1 involucre at the apex, glabrous; bracts 1 1/2–2 lin. long and 1–2 lin. broad, elliptic or elliptic-obovate, obtuse, concave, glabrous, ciliate; involucre 5–7 lin. in diam., broadly bowl-shaped, glabrous outside and within, with 5 glands and 5 subquadrate toothed or nearly entire and minutely ciliate lobes; glands closely sessile on the cup of the involucre, 1 1/2–2 1/2 lin. long, 1 3/4–3 lin. broad at the tips, broadly cuneately palmatifid, divided to half-way down into 3–6 linear spreading processes, recurved at the tips, slightly dilated or once or twice shortly bifid at the apex, glabrous, green and not pitted on the undivided or glandular part and the processes white: ovary sessile, quite included in the involucre, thickly pubescent with erect stiffish or somewhat bristle-like hairs; styles exserted, 2 3/4–3 lin. long, united nearly to the apex, with very short slightly spreading thickened or bifid tips; capsule not seen. null
